Overview
- A federal judge sentenced Adan C. Hernandez‑Mayoral to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to a hate‑crime causing bodily injury charge.
- Prosecutors said Hernandez‑Mayoral boarded a King County Metro bus on March 7, 2024, made explicit racist remarks at a Black passenger, shoved her off the stopped bus, beat and stomped her, and repeatedly tried to stab her with a knife.
- Court documents and prosecutors noted the victim survived with extensive bruising because a heavy coat prevented deeper knife punctures, and Hernandez‑Mayoral fled the scene before being arrested by Kent police that evening.
- The case was investigated by the Kent Police Department and the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, whose officials said the sentence sends a message about holding perpetrators of race‑based violence accountable.
- Prosecutors presented Hernandez‑Mayoral’s prior violent convictions and alleged gang involvement as context for the sentence, and the outcome could prompt continued federal attention to hate crimes and passenger safety on public transit.