A Manhattan woman was charged with assault as a hate crime after police said she stabbed a man on the subway in Harlem Sunday night.
Stephanie Pazmino, 30, is accused of slashing the 44-year-old man in the face and stabbing him in the arm after an argument over a seat turned violent on a No. 4 train at the 125th Street station, an NYPD spokeswoman said.
The incident allegedly began when the victim offered Pazmino his seat. Police said Pazmino turned down the offer and told her cousin in Spanish that she “didn’t want to sit next to a black person.”
The argument escalated into violence around 11 p.m. when the victim went to exit the train at 125th Street, police said. He was taken to Harlem Hospital Center for treatment, cops said.
Pazmino was arrested at the scene and a two-inch knife was recovered, according to police. She is also facing charges of reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon.
