The woman accused of beating a cello player over the head with a bottle in the subway earlier this month was busted and then quickly set free on supervised release Thursday.
According to prosecutors, 23-year-old Amira Hunter of East New York, Brooklyn allegedly walloped 29-year-old Iain Forrest over the head with a metal bottle as he plucked away at his cello inside of the Herald Square subway station on Feb. 13.
The caught-on-camera attack shocked the dozens of riders who witnessed it and angered New Yorkers as just another symptom of a spike in subway crime.
Police searched for the masked woman who left Forrest hunched over in pain and even released surveillance images of her before they ultimately caught up with her on Feb. 28. Police say Hunter has 7 prior arrests with her latest infraction totting that number up to eight. However, she has never been criminally charged.
During her arraignment, Hunter had an outburst in court when prosecutors stated that they were not seeking an order of protection because the victim and perpetrator were strangers to one another.
“What the f**k, I am not a stranger,” she yelled.
Despite this claim, investigators did not believe the pair knew one another before Hunter performed the attack.
Hunter, who has been charged with assault, was granted freedom on supervised release. She left the courthouse with her attorney and was told not to answer the questions peppered at her by awaiting reporters.
On Feb. 22, Forrest, who is not only a musician, but also a medical student famous on social media for his intricate performances, shared a statement about his trepidation to perform on the street again and his exhaustion fighting to advocate against abuse on street musicians.
“Amid all the commentary, opinions, and biases, let’s focus on what matters: that we condemn violence and hatred against musicians performing in public places. It is simply not acceptable to normalize it. Their talent and dedication enriches the lives of every New Yorker. We must monitor crimes against subway musicians and mobilize MTA and NYPD resources to stop them from happening,” Forrest wrote on Instagram.
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