An Asian man was elbowed in the chest by a hate-filled attacker who sneered, “If you’re not Bruce Lee, then f–k off” at him in a Manhattan subway station Wednesday, cops said.
The 42-year-old victim was waiting on the southbound B train platform at the 86th Street/Central Park East station around 12:15 p.m. when he was attacked by Janaria Kelley, according to police.
Kelley, 55, then fled on a southbound train, but was quickly nabbed at Columbus Circle.
He was charged with aggravated harassment as a hate crime and assault, cops said.
Kelley has six prior arrests, including one for forcibly touching a 66-year-old Asian woman on March 10, according to police sources.
That incident happened in front of 173 Canal St. in Chinatown when he allegedly grabbed the woman’s privates around 12:15 p.m., the sources said.
He was charged with forcible touching and sexual abuse, court records show. He has a follow-up court date in that case on April 27.
The race-fueled incident Wednesday comes amid a recent wave of crimes against Asians in the Big Apple and beyond, including the brutal beating of a Filipino American woman in front of a Manhattan apartment building on March 29.
The NYPD has recently assigned additional undercover officers to combat the surge in hate crimes.
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