The suspect who unleashed a racist attack on a Black jogger in New York last month has been arrested and is facing multiple hate crime charges.
Lorena Delaguna, 53, was arrested in her Woodside home on Monday, Sept. 21, and charged with attempted assault and aggravated assault — both as a hate crime.
On Aug. 17, 37-year-old Tiffany Johnson was running in Queens, New York, near 53rd Place and Broadway when she was subjected to a racist attack. In an incident caught on camera, Delaguna threw a glass bottle at Johnson and told her: “Get out of here n-gger, go back to Africa.”
“She could see the color of my skin and she reacted to that,” Johnson told the New York Post. “It’s a hate crime.”
Although the footage doesn’t capture what happened next, Johnson said that Delaguna continued to pursue her.
“She did follow me, kept pursuing me. People saw it, people were getting upset, somebody even threw a bagel in her direction,” Johnson said. “It was scary, I didn’t want to see anyone get hurt, I just left.”
Prosecutors said Delaguna followed Johnson for a full block, while continuing to yell racist threats at her. Johnson was not injured in the attack. She said she did not know the incident was being filmed, and saw the footage on social media a few days after the incident occurred.
“Her issues, whatever her actions were, are a reflection on her, it’s not my problem, it’s her problem,” Johnson said to ABC 7.
“Crimes like this, which are fueled by hate, are in a special category for a reason. No one should have to endure being called a vile slur or being attacked simply because of the color of their skin, their religion, or who they love,” said the Queens District Attorney.
If convicted, Delaguna, who has a criminal record dating back to 2014 that includes burglary, menacing and graffiti charges, faces up to seven years in prison.
