The Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced it has opened a hate crimes investigation into a New York City clothing store owner who was allegedly attacked for having a poster of Vice President Harris in his store window.
The district attorney's office confirmed to The Hill that “the Hate Crimes Unit is investigating this matter and the investigation is ongoing.”
A spokesman for the district attorney's office said the office cannot disclose any charges against the suspects until Juan Bernal is arraigned on Sept. 25.
Hill contacted the New York Police Department (NYPD), but authorities He told ABC News The suspect, Bernal, 76, of New York City, was arrested Saturday and charged with third-degree assault.
ABC News reached out to Bernal, who said he disputes the store owner's claims and is currently seeking legal counsel.
Tanya Young Williams is the owner of Tanya's Luxury Fashion Boutique on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
She said the attack happened outside her store on Aug. 30 when she was standing in the entrance to the store when a man passing by noticed Harris' posters and merchandise and returned.
“He said, 'You should put this in your store window,'” Williams told ABC News, describing how Bernal pointed to a shirt of former President Trump. “I walked up to him to stop him from going in and I said, 'I support Kamala.'”
Williams told the outlet that Bernal spat on her multiple times, after which she reached over and grabbed him by the shoulders and told witnesses to call police.
Williams alleged that Bernal pushed her, causing the back of her head to hit the door, leading to the injury, and that he ripped and ripped a button off Bernal's shirt that read “We Stand With Israel.”
Williams said Bernal yelled racial slurs, but the NYPD report did not mention a racial component. Williams said she didn't understand why that information wasn't included in the police report, according to ABC News.
Williams is the ex-wife of NBA player Jason Williams, who pleaded guilty to accidentally shooting and killing a limousine driver in 2002. She said she has received support since the incident.
Bernal told the outlet he went to police on Saturday after hearing the allegations, and that police were grateful he turned himself in and were “trying to get out of this situation.”
