July 14, 2022
NEW YORK CITY—An African-American man who allegedly attacked and hurled racist comments at two Asian women in a Midtown Manhattan subway station was indicted on hate crime charges Wednesday.
Derrick Johnson, 40, approached the Asian women—who are of Korean descent—at Rockefeller Center station on May 8 and doused them with an unidentified liquid during his racist tirade, according to prosecutors.
“You f**king Chinese. I don’t know why you’re here in America,” Johnson allegedly screamed at one of the victims before he charged at her, causing her to fall to the ground, according to New York Post law enforcement sources.
Johnson then allegedly spit at her as she lay on the ground.
The 26-year-old woman’s fall resulted in “significant bruising” to her arms and legs and “substantial pain and swelling to her head and jaw,” according to a press release from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Because the Asian women successfully didn’t defend themselves, they were able to avoid assault charges against Johnson.
Johnson was charged with assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment, ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, and remanded to jail at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court, according to The Post.
“The subway is central to our city, and riders of all backgrounds deserve safety when they travel,” Bragg said in a statement.
“The rise of bias-driven crimes is unacceptable. We are expanding our Office’s Hate Crimes Unit to enhance these prosecutions while increasing community engagement and other preventative measures.”
The 40-year-old suspect was also arrested last month for attacking two officers who were responding to a call for a lewd male in Chelsea. Johnson allegedly got on top of one cop and repeatedly struck them in the face before striking another officer in her face.
Feature Image via Jerome Decq