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Woman charged with hate crime after slapping three women she apparently thought were Jewish

Published  December 28, 2019 2:53pm CST
New York
Associated Press

NEW YORK - A woman accused of slapping three people in one of a series of apparently anti-Semitic attacks reported throughout New York during Hanukkah was charged Saturday with attempted assault as a hate crime, court records show.  

Tiffany Harris, 30, was released without bail after her arraignment on the attempted assault charge and misdemeanor  and lower-level charges , according to the records.  

Her lawyer, Iris Ying, declined to comment, and  the New York Post reported that Harris rebuffed questions as she left a Brooklyn court.  

Police said Harris slapped three women, ages 22 to 31, in the face and head after encountering them on a corner in Brooklyn's Crown Heights area. The victims suffered minor pain, police said.  

Around the city, police have gotten at least six reports this week -- and eight since Dec. 13 -- of attacks possibly propelled by anti-Jewish bias.  

Mayor Bill de Blasio said  Friday that police presence would increase in Crown Heights and two other Brooklyn neighborhoods with large Jewish populations.