In a recent report by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., a 35-year-old man named Andre Cheeves has been indicted on a hate crime charge. The incident took place at the Fulton Street subway station where Cheeves allegedly tried to attack a 51-year-old man, supposedly making anti-Hispanic comments during the assault, as stated by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announcement.
According to the District Attorney’s office, the event unfolded in the early hours of June 27th, when the alleged assailant, holding a metal bike chain, confronted the victim, demanding he 'return' Cheeves’ phone. In fear, the victim, who did not recognize Cheeves nor possessed his phone, tried to escape the confrontation. "Andre Cheeves allegedly tried to hit a stranger with a heavy chain in an unprovoked hate crime inside of a subway station," District Attorney Bragg highlighted in the reported statement by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Escalation ensued as Cheeves reportedly became more irate, swinging the chain at the victim who resorted to using his backpack to defend himself. Amidst the turmoil, racist slurs such as, "f— Hispanics," were allegedly yelled multiple times by Cheeves. Finally swinging the chain at the victim all the while, Cheeves chased him out of the station before being apprehended by the police, called to the scene by the distressed victim, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office reported.
The prosecuting team on the case includes Assistant D.A.s Phillip Klindt of Trial Bureau 70 and Molly Patrick from the Special Victims Division, under the supervision of Constantine Coritsidis and Hannah Yu, who respectively serve as the Deputy Chief and the Chief of the Hate Crimes Unit. Cheeves faces charges of one count each of Attempted Assault in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime and Menacing in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, among others. In addition to the prosecutors, Major Case Analyst Julie Anne Doreen Lim and Senior Investigative Analyst Caleb Brown have also been acknowledged as contributing precious assistance. D.A. Bragg expressed his gratitude towards the NYPD, specifically officers from Transit District 4 and the 1st Precinct for their swift response.
