NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — A violent crime spree in a Westchester County city could lead to hate crime charges.
Police say a Long Island man attacked an Asian business owner and a married couple and then hid in a private home to evade capture.
Chopper 2 was over the scene Thursday in New Rochelle, where a Main Street shop owner was robbed and assaulted before the suspect ran into the Residence Park neighborhood and invaded a house where a woman was home with her daughter.
“The woman did a fantastic job of keeping him calm. She was able to text someone for assistance. Officers then went to the house and arrested him,” New Rochelle Police Commissioner Robert Gazzola said.
Police have hit 32-year-old Michael Bagley of Coram with multiple felonies.
Surveillance video shows him holding an iPad taken from the owner of a clothing store. Lisa Chen told CBS2 from her hospital bed that Bagley refused to pay full price for a pair of shoes, tried to steal a belt, and then attacked her.
“He don’t say nothing. He don’t wanna pay for the belt. Oh my god, this guy is crazy here,” Chen said.
As the attacker fled, Chen, 51, ran to her friend’s business next door and collapsed on the floor.
Police say Bagley then ran to the corner of Main and Woodland, encountered an older Hispanic couple, and committed a strong-arm robbery, taking more than $1,000.
Video then shows him in Residence Park, running up a driveway and through a backyard before entering a home on Laurel Place.
“A lot of doors will be locked now, instead of leaving the doors open, running to the store, coming back. People really gonna secure their homes more now,” resident Fred Galloway said.
Bagley faces six felony counts. Investigators are reviewing comments he made to the Asian store owner to see if a hate crime charge is warranted.
The store owner said she has a broken bone and multiple other injuries. The owner of the home where the suspect was captured declined to comment.
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