A New York man with a lengthy rap sheet is facing an array of charges, including that of attempted murder and a hate crime, after he allegedly stabbed two teenage girls inside Grand Central Terminal on Christmas Day, according to New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
The two girls, ages 14 and 16, were visiting from South America and having lunch in the Grand Central Dining Concourse when they were stabbed around 11:25 a.m., officials said.
Without further incident, the suspect, identified by authorities as 36-year-old Steven Hutcherson of the Bronx, was placed into custody by nearby officers less than one minute after the initial report.
The stabbing took place as the two teenagers ate with their parents at Tartinery, a French café located in the Grand Central Dining Concourse, according to local reports.
The stabbing took place as the two teenagers ate with their parents at Tartinery, a French café located in the Grand Central Dining Concourse, according to local reports. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Hutcherson, according to police sources cited by New York’s ABC 7 News, flew into a rage after he was told by Tartinery staff that he could not sit near the teenagers. Authorities, as reported by the outlet, said Hutcherson then pulled out a knife and stabbed each of the girls, shouting, “I want all the White people dead.”
The victims were transported to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation, officials said. The 16-year-old was reportedly stabbed in the back and suffered a collapsed lung, while the 14-year-old was stabbed in the thigh.
Following the stabbing, Hutcherson was charged with felony counts of attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first and second degree, and attempted assault in the first degree. Hutcherson was also charged with a hate crime.
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Hutcherson, who has 17 prior arrests and is considered by law enforcement sources to be an “emotionally disturbed person,” was arrested twice in the last six months. Prior to the attack on Monday, Hutcherson was most recently arrested last month after he threatened to shoot someone.
People walk through Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on Dec. 22, 2023, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
“I’m gonna shoot you. I don’t care what kind of green card the government gave you,” he said, according to the criminal complaint against him that was highlighted by the New York Post. “Open your mouth and say something. I will shoot you right now.”
Law enforcement sources, according to the Post, said cops did not find a firearm on Hutcherson but did recover a knife. At the time, he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, harassment and assault.
Hutcherson pleaded guilty to both of his Nov. 7 and July 24 weapons possession arrests. Hutcherson reportedly received a 15-day sentence following the July arrest. In regard to the November arrest, Hutcherson received a conditional discharge. He was also issued a temporary restraining order against his victim of the November incident.
Speaking about the incident Tuesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, admitted that such incidents inside Grand Central Terminal make people feel unsafe.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams admitted that such incidents inside Grand Central Terminal make people feel unsafe. (Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service)
“Any time you have incidents in these high-profile locations it sends the feeling of people don’t feel safe and that’s why we have to zero in and make the arrest as soon as possible and make sure we get those repeated offenders off our streets,” Adams said.
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The investigation into the stabbing incident, according to the MTA, is ongoing.
