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A man arrested in the Christmas Day stabbing of two teen tourists
who were eating with their parents at New York City's Grand Central
Terminal has been charged with hate crimes.
The victims, ages 14 and 16, were stabbed about 11:25 a.m. "inside
the confines of the Grand Central Dining Concourse" in Midtown
Manhattan, according to a Tuesday statement from police with the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly called the MTA.
The girls' injuries were not considered life-threatening, according
to MTA police.
The suspect, Steven Hutcherson, 36, of the Bronx, allegedly
approached dining area staff members and said something along the
lines of, "I don't want the white man to get at you," according to a
bail application. He then asked for a seat to place an order and
told staff that he wanted to "sit with the crackers," an anti-white
slur, it says.
After Hutcherson was given a seat, he stood up and walked toward a
table where the teens, who appeared to be white, were seated with
their family and stabbed the 16-year-old in the back in an
"unprovoked" attack, the application states.
As the family tried to get away, he allegedly stabbed the 14-year-
old in the thigh.
Hutcherson was captured "less than one minute after the initial
report by officers posted nearby, without further incident," MTA
police said.
He was charged with attempted murder in the second degree, assault
in the first and second degree and attempted assault in the first
degree . all as hate crimes, according to the Manhattan District
Attorney's Office said. He was also charged with endangering the
welfare of a child.
The Legal Aid Society, which is representing Hutcherson, declined to
comment on Wednesday.
The girls and their parents were visiting New York City over the
holidays and were dining at the Tartinery Cafe Bar, according to NBC
New York.
Both girls were taken to Bellevue Hospital following the attack, MTA
police said. The 16-year-old has a collapsed lung.
The manager of Tartinery told the news station she noticed the
suspect acting erratically prior to the stabbing.
"They had no idea he was even there, and he just pulled out a knife
and stabbed one girl in the back," she said.
Hutcherson, who also uses the name Esteban Esono-Asue, has a lengthy
criminal history. He has two felony convictions and nine misdemeanor convictions, the district attorney's office said. He also has
multiple open cases for other offenses including criminal contempt
and menacing.
Hutcherson is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hate-crimes-charges-filed- christmas-day-stabbing-teen-tourists-eating-rcna131236
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