Overview
- Authorities identified the suspects as Michael James and Michael Santiago, who were arrested Wednesday night hours after the NYPD released surveillance images.
- The Feb. 19 confrontation occurred near West 26th Street and Seventh Avenue, where a 54-year-old woman was subjected to anti-Black slurs and had a boot ignited.
- One man wore a “Make America Great Again” hat as the other recorded the encounter for social media, with related clips posted to the ScrubsNYC accounts.
- The NYPD charged both men with attempted assault and criminal mischief as hate crimes, along with arson, aggravated harassment, menacing, and criminal tampering.
- The victim was not physically injured, her $89 boots were destroyed, and the investigation remains with the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.