A peaceful Christmas Day turned grim at Grand Central Terminal when two tourists, girls aged 14 and 16 from South America, were unexpectedly stabbed while eating.
The assailant, identified as 36-year-old Steven Hutcherson, made racially charged threats before launching the attack, abc7NY reported.
The attack took place around 11:25 a.m. in the Dining Concourse of Grand Central Terminal while the girls were dining with their parents. Following an altercation with the staff of Tartinery, who told him he could not sit in the restaurant’s area, Hutcherson redirected his rage towards the young tourists.
Reportedly, Hutcherson exclaimed, “I want all the white people dead,” and then said, “I want to sit next to the crackers,” before he advanced towards the victims with a knife.
Authorities responded immediately, apprehending Hutcherson in less than a minute following the stabbings.
He now faces severe charges including attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities are also considering hate crime charges against him, in light of the statements he made during the incident.
Both girls were promptly taken to Bellevue Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The 16-year-old suffered a stab wound to her back, which slightly injured her lung, while the 14-year-old was stabbed in the thigh.
The suspect has a history of arrests, with previous charges involving weapons possession and resisting arrest.
abc7NY reported:
He is both known to both MTA police and NYPD as an emotionally disturbed person with an arrest record.
Hutcherson was arrested twice in the last six months for menacing people with a gun in the Bronx.
He pleaded guilty in both his Nov. 7 and July 24 weapons possession arrests. He received a 15-day sentence in the first, and the second was a conditional discharge, which occurred at his residence. He also was issued a temporary restraining order against his victim.
Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that he has not been briefed yet, but that overall subway crime is down.
“Any time you have incidents in these high profile locations, it sends the feeling of people don’t feel safe, that’s why we have to make sure we zero in, make the arrests as soon as possible and make sure we get those repeat offenders off the streets,” Adams said.
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