Court records show 23 charges against Joseph Russo (28) as a result of the three incidents, ranging from charges of assault and criminal negligence as a hate crime to less serious threats and harassment charges.
CNN has released a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society, who is believed to represent Russo, for comment. CNN could not immediately reach out to a member of Russo’s family for comment.
The first incident occurred on March 5 when Russo allegedly pushed a 64-year-old Asian woman to the ground, causing pain on the left side of her body. Russo walked away.
On the morning of March 22, Russo allegedly pulled the hair of a 32-year-old Asian woman and ’caused pain on her head and neck’, police said, adding that a word was not exchanged during the incident and no property was removed. . ”
According to the NYPD, Russo allegedly pushed a 77-year-old Asian man to the ground in front of the supermarket in the Sheepshead Bay area in Brooklyn. No words were exchanged during the incident, they said.
“Although the victim sustained bruises on his left arm, he refused medical help,” police said.
Russo was initially arrested on drug charges, and police allege he was found with crack cocaine residues and accessories, the NYPD said.
The Kings County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Friday that Russo is being held on $ 100,000 bail.
According to the NYPD, there were 31 anti-Asian hate crimes between January 1 and March 28 this year. During the same period last year, there were zero such crimes recorded, according to police data.