Photo Courtesy of Google
The alleged assault occurred in February at the New Flushing Bakery on Roosevelt Avenue.
By Forum Staff
A Flushing man has been indicted for allegedly attacking a woman outside a Roosevelt Avenue bakery in February, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday.
According to court records, Patrick Mateo, 47, is awaiting arraignment on an indictment charging him with aggravated harassment in the second degree, assault in the third degree, and harassment in the second degree.
Photo Courtesy of NYPD
Security camera image of Patrick Mateo.
According to the charges, just before 2 p.m. on Feb. 16, Mateo was in line at the New Flushing Bakery on Roosevelt Avenue when he allegedly began to argue with the victim. Suddenly, and without provocation, Mateo cursed at the 52-year-old Chinese woman and pushed her face. Mateo then entered the bakery, grabbed a cardboard box, ran back outside and allegedly threw the box at the victim before forcefully shoving her backwards, on to the ground and into a metal newsstand box on the sidewalk. The impact with the newsstand opened a long cut across the woman’s forehead that required about 10 stitches to close.
Mateo, according to the charges, was apprehended less than 48 hours later and arrested. After his arrest, the investigation continued, and on March 31 a court-authorized search warrant was executed for data on his cell phone, which allegedly revealed anti-Asian sentiment.
“I appreciate the community’s patience as we gathered needed evidence to establish a hate crime in this particular circumstance,” Katz added. “In addition to the injury sustained by the victim, hate crime requires a need to show that the victim was targeted because of her ethnicity.”
If convicted, Mateo faces up to one year in jail.
