A man has been arrested in New York City in connection with the anti-gay assault of a 20-year-old woman who was left with a fractured spine.
Allasheed Allah was charged with assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment on Thursday in connection with the Nov. 30 attack, according to the New York Police Department.
Allah reportedly became angry when he saw a woman kiss the victim on the cheek while on an E Train in Queens.
He allegedly confronted the victim and began using derogatory and homophobic slurs, causing the woman to argue with him, according to the New York Daily News.
Allah then followed the woman as she exited the Forest Hills subway station, according to police.
“The unidentified male used a slur based upon his interpretation of the victim’s sexual orientation,” the NYPD said in an emailed statement to NBC News. “As the victim walked away from the unidentified male, he approached from behind, punched the victim in the back of her head and shoved her to the ground, causing her to strike her head.”
Allah allegedly fled the scene. The victim was taken to Elmhurst Hospital with a fractured spine, the Daily News reported.
Hate crimes have continued to climb in the U.S. for the third year in a row, according to an FBI report released Tuesday.
In 2017, the FBI saw the largest single-year increase in hate crimes since 2001 with 7,157 hate crime incidents reported.
An estimated 15.8 percent of hate crime victims were targeted because of their sexual orientation, according to the FBI