NORWOOD — The Bronx woman accused of punching a 10-year-old boy in the face and giving him a bloody nose for not saying "please," was arrested and charged with assault over the weekend.
Jathiyah Richards, 47, attacked the boy on Aug. 19 at the Bus Stop Deli, located at 271 E. 206th St., for being impolite when he demanded the store employee hand him his groceries, according to The Bronx District Attorney's office.
“You should say 'please' to the cashier,” Richards said, according to prosecutors. “You are not allowed to talk to her like that. You should say, 'May I please have my bags.'”
The boy then told Richards to “mind your business,” and she went up to him and waved her closed fist in his face, he told police.
"I have grandsons and granddaughters who behave better than you," the boy claims she told him.
"I don't care," he replied, according to his affidavit.
The boy started to back up, but Richards continued walking towards him and slapped him on the left side of his face, the DA claims.
The boy then ran to the back of the store, but the woman continued to chase after him, throwing his scooter to the ground, slapping him in the face for a second time and knocking a gallon of water out of his hand, prosecutors said.
Richards kept chasing him around the store and eventually punched him in the face, giving him a swollen bloody nose, according to the boy's statement to the DA.
She has pleaded not guilty to third-degree assault, endangering a child, menacing and harassment at her arraignment in criminal court on Sunday, and was released without bail, according to the Bronx DA's office. She is due back in court on Nov. 10.
Richards is represented by Mia Jackson Rosenthal of the Bronx Defenders, who did not respond to a request for comment.
