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.
Steven Hutcherson, 36, of the Bronx, was captured “less than one minute after the initial report by officers posted nearby, without further incident,” MTA police said.
Hutcherson 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.
Hutcherson allegedly approached the girls and their parents, who were visiting New York City over the holidays, at the Tartinery Cafe Bar, according to NBC New York.
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.
The teen girls were taken to Bellevue Hospital following the attack, MTA police said.
Hutcherson is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
