NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A 22-year-old man was arraigned on Wednesday on a hate crime assault in an alleged unprovoked attack against a trans woman inside a subway station and car last month, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced.
Ian Williams, 22, was arraigned on an indictment in which he is charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime, third-degree assault, third-degree menacing as a hate crime, forcible touching and other related counts.
At 1 p.m. on Aug. 17, the 22-year-old victim was waiting for the J train at the Myrtle Avenue Station in Bedford-Stuyvesant when Williams allegedly made a sexually suggestive gesture at the victim and then grabbed her buttocks.
When confronted by the victim, Williams threatened her and called her a f----t, according to the investigation.
Both entered the Manhattan-bound J train and the victim asked Williams why he groped her and used that slur.
Williams then allegedly slapped the victim, punched her repeatedly and threw her to the floor. Bystanders pulled him away and he moved to another car.
The victim was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital and treated for a broken nose.
Williams was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond and is set to return to court on Nov. 1.
If convicted, Williams is facing a maximum sentence of up to four years.
"Every person in our city deserves to safely use the subway, no matter their gender identity or expression," DA Gonzalez said. "This defendant allegedly groped an innocent individual and then violently attacked her. We will continue to vigorously prosecute violent people and defend the rights of every member of Brooklyn’s LGBTQ community."