A Brooklyn woman who is accused of throwing a hot drink at a dad wearing a Palestinian scarf and his son is now facing hate crime charges, according to PEOPLE.
Hate crime charges
Hadasa Bozakkavarani, 48, was charged with assault of a person younger than 11, assault, reckless endangerment and aggravated harassment, all as hate crimes, as well as other charges, the police department says.
A video posted on Instagram by the victim, Ashish Prashar, 40, shows Bozakkavarani appear to throw something at Prashar, who was playing at a park with his 18-month-old son in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Details of the assault
In the video she can be heard saying ‘You and your son, go away,’ before throwing a cup containing a hot drink.
In the Instagram caption for the video, Prashar, who was wearing a scarf called a keffiyeh, alleges she approached him and his son ‘screaming and shouting, calling us terrorists, dogs,’ while claiming he was part of the terrorist group Hamas.
A spokesperson for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said that Bozakkaravani made her first appearance in court Tuesday and was released from custody. She has not yet entered a plea.
Online court records indicate that her next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 24.
An attorney for Bozakkaravani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
