BROOKLYN — A homeless man was charged with a hate crime after he yelled anti-white slurs while punching a stranger on a Williamsburg street earlier this month, police said.
Angel Velasquez, 39, was arrested on Friday and charged with assault and a hate crime for the Dec. 2 attack, the NYPD said.
The 42-year-old victim was standing at the corner of Berry Street and Division Avenue when the suspect walked up to him and punched him in the back of the head while screaming anti-white statements, police said.
"Get out of my neighborhood, white boy. Get out of my neighborhood, cracker," Velasquez yelled at the victim, according to the New York Daily News.
The victim fell to the ground and Velasquez ran into the Roberto Clemente Houses across the street, officials said. The victim refused medical attention at the scene.
Velasquez has been arrested 14 previous times for a variety of crimes including robberies, drug possession and four times for assault, police said. He was most recently arrested in Sept. 2014 for larceny.
