A white teenager faces hate crime charges for his role in what police say was a racially motivated group attack on a Black teenager who was beaten, called racial slurs, and even hit with a banana in a New York City subway station.
According to the New York Daily News, police say the attack happened on Monday, March 24, at 8 a.m. Monday at the Stillwell Ave. subway station in Coney Island.
Authorities learned the 16-year-old victim was on his way to school when he was confronted by a group of several white teenagers on the mezzanine level of the station.
The assailants reportedly mocked him with the N-word and then physically assaulted him by striking him in the head and then repeatedly punching and kicking him in his body, police said.
At one point, authorities say one of the attackers threw a banana at the boy. Another person also stole one of his sneakers and ran off. The sneaker was later found in the station.
A video of the attack was posted on Instagram, where it was widely circulated, but has since been taken down, according to police.
“He didn’t deserve that! He didn’t deserve that, and these thugs are terrorizing Black children in this neighborhood,” the victim’s mother, Monique Whyte, told FOX 5. “The videos are all circulating, and I want something done!”
Whyte believes the attack was not just about hurting him but also humiliating him. The assailants also took one of the victim’s shoes.
“They posted pictures of him on the floor. He got up; they chased him and beat him again in another section of this train station,” the mother said.
Two of the alleged attackers, ages 14 and 16, were found and taken into custody in connection with the incident. The 16-year-old boy was charged with multiple crimes, including robbery, gang assault, and assault as a hate crime.
The 14-year-old boy was later released with no charges. The other assailants are still at large.
The teenage victim initially told police he didn’t need to see a doctor but was later treated at a Brooklyn hospital for minor injuries.
The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is still investigating the attack.
The NYPD released data revealing robberies, burglaries, and assaults in city subway stations were down last year through November compared to 2023.
Two months ago, a 71-year-old woman recounted having to fight off four teen girls who tried to snatch her purse at a Brooklyn subway station while she was on the way to church.
