NYC feces attack suspect released again after being rearrested in hate crime investigation
BRONX (WABC) -- The man accused of attacking a woman with human feces inside a Bronx subway station has been released from prison again after he was rearrested in connection with a separate anti-Semitic assault in September.
Frank Abrokwa, 37, was arraigned Wednesday and promptly turned over to detectives from the Hate Crimes Unit, who recognized him as the suspect wanted for spiting on a Jewish man and making bias statements in Crown Heights. Abrowka was then given supervised release.
Meanwhile, the suspect was charged with forcible touching, menacing and disorderly conduct and harassment for the incident on Monday, February 21, at the East 241st Street Station, in which he allegedly smeared feces on the head of a woman sitting on a bench.
"I got out of work and was waiting for train, sat down for a moment," the victim told Eyewitness News through a translator. "All of a sudden, a man approaches me. He hits me in the face and throws a bag of feces. He spreads it all over my face, in my hair, without a motive, for no reason."
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Abrokwa -- who police say has 44 prior arrests, one felony conviction and 10 misdemeanor convictions -- was taken into custody at homeless shelter on Bronx Boulevard.
Prosecutors said he told police, "(Expletive) happens" and "This is a (expletive) situation."
They tried to convince the judge that he should be held on $5,000 bail, despite the incident being charged as a misdemeanor that is not bail eligible.
The judge released him without bail, but Abrokwa was immediately turned over to the Brooklyn detectives. He is now charged with harassment and menacing, both as hate crimes, for allegedly approaching a 46-year-old man on Utica Avenue, making anti-Jewish statements and spitting on the victim before fleeing.
Authorities say Abrokwa has a history of transit related attacks. On January 7, he allegedly punched a 30-year-man on the subway platform at the 125th Street station at Lenox Avenue in Harlem.
And on February 5, he allegedly punched a 53-year-old man at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
"I'm not a criminal justice expert but I don't understand how someone who commits this kind of assault - which was violent, horribly victimizing a transit rider - can just walk free even when he has four other open cases against him, including two other transit assaults and a hate crime charge. It defies common sense," MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement.
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His most recent arrest was February 22, when police say he was stopped while attempting to steal screwdrivers and pepper spray from a hardware store in the Bronx.
When the employee confronted him, Abrokwa told him to call the police, leading to the arrest.
Since he didn't ultimately take anything, he was charged with menacing, petit larceny and misdemeanor weapon possession.
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