A Brooklyn man was charged Tuesday with assault and stalking as a hate crime and with harassment after a series of attacks on strangers over the past year, the Manhattan district attorney's office announced.
The man, Skiboky Stora, 40, who is black, was accused of targeting people he thought were white, female or Jewish. He was arrested in March when he was one of his alleged victims shared her story on TikTok. The woman, Halley Kate Mcgookin, then 23, said she was walking in Chelsea when a man punched her in the face so forcefully that she fell to the ground. Police arrested Mr Stora two days later. He has denied being guilty of the charges.
Ms. Mcgookin's video was one of many this spring from young women who said they did attacked randomly on public streets in a time of increasing concerns about crime in the city.
“Skiboky Stora is alleged to have committed a series of hate-motivated incidents against various individuals based on their perceived gender, race and religion,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg said in a statement. “Much of what defines our city is respect and acceptance of all people. No one should have to fear for their safety because of their identity.”
Mr. Stora, an occasional fringe political candidate, has posted provocative images of young women on his Instagram account and photos of himself standing in front of a sign that reads “Trump: Make America Great Again.”
The Manhattan district attorney's office has accused Mr. Stora of attacking several people apparently at random and in broad daylight. In September, Mr. Stora elbowed a white 17-year-old boy in the neck, according to the district attorney's office. The following month, he is accused of hitting a 37-year-old light-skinned woman in the shoulder with an elbow. And in November, Mr. Stora attacked a man and a woman, both white 28-year-olds, after the woman took a photo of him pulling down posters of Israeli hostages. Mr. Stora followed the couple and shouted anti-Semitic comments, including “Die, Jews, die!” said the public prosecutor.
Ms Mcgookin's video, which has been viewed more than 51 million times since it was posted in late March, was one of a series of similar viral videos from women. Men have also reported being attacked.
This month, the actor Steve Buscemi got punched in the face in Manhattan and taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated for bruising, swelling and bleeding in his left eye. In April the actor became Michael Stuhlbargthe co-star of mr. Buscemi, in the television series “Boardwalk Empire,” was also attacked while walking through Central Park. Arrests have been made in both cases.
According to police figures, crimes have increased by 4.8 percent compared to this time last year and crimes have increased by 7.2 percent in the same period.
Ginia Bellafante And Maria Kramer reporting contributed.