Alleged attack on New York City store owner over Kamala Harris poster prompts hate crime investigation: Official
A hate crime investigation has been opened in the alleged attack on the owner of a New York City clothing boutique who says a confrontation erupted last month over a large poster of Vice President Kamala Harris displayed in her window and led to the arrest of a 76-year-old suspect, authorities said Tuesday.
On Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office told ABC News it is investigating the incident.
"Our Hate Crimes Unit is investigating the matter and the investigation remains ongoing," said the spokesperson, adding that the District Attorney's Office cannot disclose anything about the investigation until after Juan Bernal's arraignment.
On Monday, the New York City Police Department confirmed to ABC News that the suspect, Juan Bernal of New York City, was arrested on Saturday and charged with assault in the third degree -- a class A misdemeanor.
Bernal's arraignment has been scheduled for Sept. 25, the spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office said.
Reached by phone on Monday, Bernal told ABC News he is in the process of finding an attorney to fight the charges.
"The only story I can tell you [is] everything she said is false. It’s not like that. I’m now trying to get lawyers to help me with this," Bernal said.
Tanya Young Williams, the owner of Tanya's Luxury Fashion Boutique on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and alum of the VH1 series "Basketball Wives," told ABC News the attack unfolded outside her store on Aug. 30. She said she was standing in the doorway of her store around 1:30 p.m. when a man walked by her and then came back after apparently noticing the large poster of the Democratic presidential nominee displayed in her window along with T-shirts supporting Harris' run for the White House.
"He said, 'You should have this in your window,'" Williams said of the man who allegedly pointed to his T-shirt touting Harris' opponent, former President Donald Trump. "I moved toward him to keep him sort of out of the store and said, 'I'm supporting Kamala.'"
Williams, who opened her store in February, said she initially thought she and the man would engage in friendly banter over the presidential campaign. But then things quickly escalated, she said, when he told her why she and other Black voters should support Trump.
"I knew there was no benefit to engaging him because there was no conversation to be had. Because I would not do that, he spits towards me," Williams said. "And at that moment, I had a decision to make: Should I knock him the hell out, which I could have, or do I try to get hold of him and call the police."
She alleged the suspect spat at her again, in her face, and she reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders and told witnesses gathered around them to call the police.
Williams said she became distracted and the man allegedly pushed her, causing her to injure herself when the back of her head hit her door.
As the man backed away, she said she ripped off a piece of his shirt that contained a button reading, "We stand with Israel." Williams showed ABC News the torn section of clothing and button, which she said the man left behind, and she later showed police officers who responded to the 911 calls reporting the incident.
A New York Police Department spokesperson told ABC News that the department launched an investigation of the alleged crime as an assault in the third degree.
Williams alleged the suspect yelled racial slurs at her, but an NYPD incident report does not mention the racial element alleged by Williams.
Williams said Tuesday that she is "at a loss" as to why the information she relayed to a police officer was not in the incident report. She said she has not yet been interviewed by District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office but plans to urge prosecutors to upgrade the charges against Bernal to a hate crime.
Williams is the ex-wife of former NBA star Jayson Williams, who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the 2002 accidental shooting of a limousine driver.
"The outpouring of support from the NYC community and even people driving from NJ, Pennsylvania and Maine to express their anger and support for me has been humbling and greatly appreciated," Wiliams said Tuesday, adding that political differences are part of the American culture but "physical attacks because of our differences can’t be tolerated."
Bernal told ABC News he went to the police on Saturday after hearing of the allegations made against him. He declined to speak specifically about what happened in the alleged confrontation, saying that he needed to speak to a lawyer first.
"I went to the police precinct on my own, hopefully for them to listen to my side," Bernal said. "Nobody came to look for me. I went there. They appreciated that I showed up. But right now I’m trying to get out of this situation."
