Victims reportedly called ‘Ugly Asian!’ by one of the assailants
New York police arrested on Monday, March 6 two suspects wanted for an alleged racially motivated attack on a Filipino-American woman and her son in Queens.
Police identified the suspects as Natalie Plaza, 18, and Elijah Fernandez, 21, who insulted, punched, and kicked Cecilia Lai and her son Kyle near the corner of Junction Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue on Thursday, March 2 about 2:30 p.m.
The NYPD said Plaza, of 110th Street in Richmond Hill, has been charged with assault in the third degree as a hate crime and assault for the March 2 attack. Fernandez, of 107th Avenue in Ozone Park, has been charged with two counts of assault in the third degree as a hate crime and assault. A third suspect in the case is still at large.
“In the most diverse county in the country, perhaps the most diverse place in the world, there is zero tolerance for hate. We will not allow our values to be threatened with violence,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Wednesday, March 8.
Plaza was inside a white Acura SUV near Junction Boulevard at around 2:30 p.m. when she yelled out “ugly Asian,” and threw water at the 44-year-old Lai, authorities said. The SUV stopped and Plaza got out, approached Lai and pulled her to the ground. Plaza then punched and kicked the woman multiple times in the face and upper body.
A 44-year-old male bystander approached to help the victim, at which time Fernandez and another male who has yet to be arrested got out of the SUV and rushed toward the Good Samaritan.
As the Good Samaritan attempted to pull Plaza away from the prone female victim, Fernandez and his male associate punched him in the face. Lai’s 24-year-old son approached to help his mother and was also punched in the face by Fernandez.
The three assailants then got back into the SUV, with Fernandez behind the wheel and took off.
Lai suffered a concussion,…
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