Ebony Jackson, 37, who is homeless, was arrested on charges of assault, criminal possession of a weapon: previous conviction and menacing, police announced Wednesday.
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The arrest comes after the May 4 incident that left the victim with a gash on her forehead.
The 31-year-old recent FIT graduate was walking with a friend to the subway when she was attacked. The pair thought it would be safer for them to go together.
The suspect struck the Asian woman in the head with the hammer, and the victim collapsed and dropped the bottle of wine she was carrying.
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The frightened victims managed to disarm the attacker and run for help.
The victim, who only wanted to be identified by her first name Theresa, says her physical pain didn't compare to the psychological scars. She was shaken up, traumatized and in total shock.
Theresa said at first she tried to defend herself, but then when she touched her head, she realized there was a lot of blood.
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Police said the victim did not know her assailant, and the suspect told her to take off her mask before striking her with the hammer, cutting her on the side of her head.
"She was talking to herself, like talking to a wall, I thought maybe she was drunk or something, so we just wanted to pass through her quickly and when I passed through her, she saw us and said 'Take off your f***ing mask,' which is shocking," Theresa said. "Suddenly I felt my head get hit by something."
She was rushed to the hospital and was said to be stable. She suffered a gash in her forehead -- a deep wound on the left side of her head -- and needed seven stitches.
Theresa came to New York in 2019 for her masters at FIT.
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She went to Taiwan to stay with her parents during COVID and came back last month to start looking for work. Her parents were concerned about the anti-Asian violence.
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"My mom actually told me please be careful, there's a lot of Asian crime happening in America," Theresa said.
Theresa just spoke with her mother and will go back to Taiwan for the time being. She said if the right job comes along, she will move back to New York when it's safer.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called on New Yorkers to stand in solidarity with Asian Americans.
"If someone commits an act of violence or bias against Asian American New Yorkers, they will suffer the consequences," he said. "And that's what we do every day, make sure that no offense goes without the right follow through and the right consequences."
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