Detectives charged a Queens man on June 24 in connection with a silent-but-violent assault of a man at a Chinatown train station back in March.
Javel James, 42, of 165th Street in Queens was picked up in Brooklyn on an unrelated incident and linked to the March 2 attack of a 56-year-old man near the entrance to the East Broadway station on the F line.
Cops said James punched the man in the face at the entrance near the corner of East Broadway and Rutgers Street at about 8:50 p.m. on March 2.
Sources familiar with the investigation said the suspect did not say a word to the victim before making his move.
Law enforcement sources said the brute punched the victim multiple times about the body, eventually causing the man to pass out. The attacker then fled in an unknown direction.
Officers from the 7th Precinct responded to the incident. The victim suffered head swelling, a black eye and a lacerated lip, and was treated at a local hospital for his injuries.
In the wake of the attack, the case was referred to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force for further investigation, as it appeared to fit an ongoing series of bias crimes targeting Asian New Yorkers.
Upon being arrested Thursday, James was initially charged only with assault. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office may consider higher charges, including hate crimes, against him pending their review of the case, law enforcement sources said.
