In a shocking incident on Christmas morning, a man is now facing charges of attempted murder as a hate crime after stabbing two teenage girls who were visiting from South America at Grand Central Terminal.
The victims, two sisters aged 14 and 16, were attacked while eating with their parents at Tartinery in the Grand Central Dining Concourse just before 11:30 a.m. on Monday.
The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Steven Hutcherson, reportedly became enraged when Tartinery staff informed him that he couldn’t sit near the girls.
In response, he pulled out a knife and stabbed each of them, shouting, “I want all the white people dead.”
The 16-year-old girl suffered a stab wound in the back, resulting in a collapsed lung, while the 14-year-old was stabbed in the thigh. Both girls were promptly taken to Bellevue Hospital, where they are currently in recovery.
MTA police quickly responded within 30 seconds, apprehending Hutcherson, who surrendered after putting down the knife.
He now faces charges of attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first and second degree, and attempted assault in the first degree—all as hate crimes.
Additionally, he is charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
Hutcherson, known to both MTA police and NYPD as an emotionally disturbed person with 17 prior arrests, had been arrested twice in the past six months, with his latest arrest occurring just last month for threatening someone with a knife.
He pleaded guilty in both cases, receiving a 15-day sentence for the first and a conditional discharge for the second, which took place at his residence.
Mayor Adams, who has prioritized identifying and removing dangerously mentally ill individuals, acknowledged that this incident may cause safety concerns, despite ongoing efforts to address such issues.
Tourists interviewed by Eyewitness News expressed mixed reactions, with some expressing concern and others appearing unfazed.
A tourist from Switzerland commented, “It’s not really a thing that I was worried about,” while Connecticut resident Lori Agati remarked, “It doesn’t faze me because, I guess, it’s New York.
This kind of thing happens, you know? It’s unfortunate.”
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