Cops: Florida Woman Arrested on Hate Crimes Charges for Pepper Spraying Four Asian Women
BIGOTRY
New York City police arrested Madeline Barker of Florida on Friday on several hate crimes charges, according to the department. Barker is accused of initiating a verbal fight with four women in their mid-twenties, making multiple anti-Asian remarks, and then pepper spraying the victims. Someone recorded the June 11 incident, which occurred in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, as was reported by the New York Daily News. According to police, Barker told a nearby Asian man, whom the victims say they do not know, to “take all your b—hes back where you came from.” One of the victims told ABC Channel 7 that she was unable to open her eyes for 40 minutes after the hate-fueled pepper spraying. Police charged Barker, 47, with two counts of assault as a hate crime, two counts of attempted assault as a hate crime, and four counts of harassment as a hate crime.