A Brooklyn woman was arrested after prosecutors said two men were stabbed with syringes downtown, in a case that authorities are treating as a hate crime.
A criminal complaint identified the suspect as Anna Mochalova, 32, of Brighton Beach. Prosecutors said Mohalova stalked a man wearing traditional Hasidic Jewish clothing in the Diamond District before cornering him and stabbing him with a needle.
Surveillance footage showed the attacker to the right of the victim, who was standing near a car in the Diamond District (picture obtained by NBC New York)
Prosecutors also said Mohalova later stalked another man nearby and stabbed him with a needle.
Investigators believe Mohalova then asked the second man in Russian if he was Jewish, according to the complaint. When he said he was Muslim, the complaint says she apologized and walked away.
Police said Mohalova was arrested and charged by the Midtown North Division on Saturday.
Mohalova was charged with second-degree hate crime, second-degree threatening hate crime, aggravated harassment and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Days after two men were stabbed with syringes downtown, a “Wanted” poster circulated (Photo courtesy of NBC New York)
The first reported incident occurred outside 15 West 47th Street around 5:50 p.m. Wednesday, according to the complaint.
The victim said he was cornered against a car and felt “a sharp, stabbing sensation” in his lower back. He suffered cuts, bleeding and severe pain and feared for his safety, prosecutors wrote in the complaint.
The second reported incident occurred at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street around 5:55 p.m. The victim wore yamaka clothing and spoke Russian, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.
A criminal complaint states that an officer identified Mohalova as the suspect from surveillance footage “based on previous interactions with the defendant” (Photo: NBC New York)
According to the complaint, the victim said he felt someone push him from behind several times and then felt a painful sting on his right forearm. He saw a woman matching his physical description standing behind him, the complaint states.
The woman “said to him in Russian: Get out of here, I have a gun and I’m going to shoot you,” according to the complaint.
Prosecutors said the woman then made movements toward the inside of the jacket, leading the victim to believe she had a gun. The victim suffered a cut on his right forearm and feared for his safety, according to the complaint.
The complaint also describes surveillance footage outside 20 West 47th Street on Wednesday around 5:50 p.m. A still image was created from the video and shown to a New York City police officer, who identified the person as Mohalova “based on previous interactions with the defendant.”
This story was originally reported and broadcast by NBC New York. Artificial intelligence tools helped convert the story into a digital article, which NBC New York reporters edited for publication.