Amira Hunter, a 23-year-old woman from Brooklyn who made headlines last week for a brutal caught-on-video bottle attack on a New York City subway cellist, was arrested again on Tuesday. This time, she was caught stealing a pricey $235 Moncler baseball hat from Nordstrom on West 57th Street. This latest incident comes just 15 days after Hunter allegedly attacked cellist Iain S. Forrest while he was performing in a subway station.
Although Hunter has a history of eight prior arrests and was last taken into custody in October for theft, she was released by Judge Marva Brown despite the prosecutor’s objections due to her failure to appear at three out of five court days in other criminal cases. Forrest, the victim of the subway attack, has since stopped playing in the subway indefinitely and only recently picked up his cello again for the first time.
New York City Transit Commissioner Michael Kemper referred to Hunter’s latest arrest as an example of the city’s “recidivism problem,” echoing comments made by Mayor Eric Adams. Kemper highlighted the fact that Hunter had active bench warrants for failing to appear in court but was still released. Hunter was charged with assault on Wednesday following her latest arrest.
This string of criminal incidents has drawn attention to the issue of repeat offenders and the challenges in keeping them off the streets. With Mayor Adams’ focus on addressing the city’s recidivism problem, incidents like Hunter’s arrest highlight the ongoing struggle to reduce crime and ensure public safety in New York City.
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