Two teenage girls were reportedly stabbed on Christmas Day while enjoying a meal at the Grand Central Terminal.
The incident occurred before noon on Monday, at a restaurant called Tartinery in the Grand Central Dining Concourse. According to reports, the alleged assailant Steven Hutcherson, 36, of the Bronx, argued with restaurant staff over sitting in the restaurant’s space, at which point he allegedly remarked that the two teen girls, 14 and 16, were allowed to sit there before pulling out a knife and stabbing both of the young women, authorities say.
Police responded in seconds, and Hutcherson ultimately surrendered.
According to WABC-TV, “He was charged with felony counts of attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child.” However, the outlet noted that he is also being investigated for a potential hate crime, as law enforcement sources told the New York Post that the man yelled, “I want all the white people dead,” adding, “I want to sit next to the crackers.”
The two teens, visiting from South Africa, were taken to Bellevue Hospital to be treated for their injuries. One young woman was stabbed in the thigh and the other in the back. According to reports, the injuries were considered non-life-threatening.
This was not Hutcherson’s first run-in with law enforcement, either; he faced two weapons possession arrests in the last six months alone.
Violent crime has remained a consistent issue in Democrat-run New York City. In early December, at least four people were killed in a stabbing that occurred at a home in the city, and police responded to reports of a fatal stabbing involving an 18-year-old in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, following what was described as a trail of blood:
Earlier this year, researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice released the results of their study showing that felony suspects released without bail are more likely to be rearrested for more felonies than those who were given bail prior to the state’s bail reform law.
