MELBOURNE, FL– A 47-year-old Melbourne woman has been indicted on hate crime charges after she was caught on camera targeting Asian women in New York with pepper spray.
The incident occurred at the intersection of 14th Street and Ninth Avenue in Chelsea, New York on June 11th.
Officials say Madeline Barker became upset with four Asian women because she believed they were standing too close to where she was sitting. She then began arguing with the women and made several anti-Asian statements before pepper-spraying them.
“Hearing the hateful and discriminatory words, ‘go back to your country, ’ is deeply painful and these women allegedly heard them before enduring the physical pain of Ms. Barker’s pepper spray. People of all backgrounds deserve to feel safe,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s Office said in a press release on Thursday.
All four women reported feeling a painful burning sensation in their eyes from the pepper
After posting photos of the suspect online, authorities identified the woman as Barker.
She was indicted on Tuesday with eight counts of Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime and four counts of Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree, a misdemeanor hate crime.
The pictured individual is Wanted for an Assault that occurred on June 11th on the corner of 9th Avenue and West 14th Street. The perpetrator made xenophobic remarks and discharged pepper spray at 4 female victims. Please contact Crimestoppers (1 800 577-TIPS, @NYPDTips). pic.twitter.com/ypzXxUs6IL
— NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes) June 13, 2022