UPDATED 9/22, 10:02 P.M. ET: The woman who was filmed launching a racist attack on a Black jogger is facing up to seven years behind bars.
As reported by WABC-TV, the New York Police Department announced 53-year-old Lorena Delaguna was arrested Monday at her home in Woodside. Delaguna was charged with hate crime attempted assault and felony aggravated harassment for an incident that occurred in Queens last month.
Video shows a woman, who policed identified as Delaguna, throwing a bottle at Tiffany Johnson before yelling the N-word and telling her to "go back to Africa."
"In addition to allegedly yelling the N-word, the defendant in this case is also accused of throwing a bottle in an attempt to strike the victim," Queens District Attorney said in a statement Tuesday to NBC 4. "Crimes like this, which are fueled by hate, are in a special category for a reason. No one should have to endure being called a vile slur or being attacked simply because of the color of their skin, their religion, or who they love."
Delaguna is reportedly facing up to seven years in prison if convicted on the charges.
See original story below.
Tiffany Johnson took to Facebook Tuesday to discuss the incident she was involved in where a woman hurled a glass bottle and spewed a racial slur at her as she was jogging in Queens, New York City last month.
Johnson only recently addressed what happened after footage of her ordeal was shared with the public and went viral. She admits to being unaware that anyone was filming, but revisiting their run-in has only confirmed what she knew all along.
"As a Black woman I'm always cautious because I know that the color of my skin is triggering for certain people," she wrote. "At the time I felt it was race related, but looking back at this video is 100 percent confirmation of a hate crime."
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident and remain hopeful that this video will lead to an arrest. The suspect is described as a white woman in her 40s, standing around 5-foot-5 and 160 pounds, with blue eyes and long blond hair.
Johnson spoke with ABC7 about the hostile interaction, revealing that her relentlessly racist behavior didn't end when the camera stopped rolling. "She followed me up the block, was screaming 'get out of here, go back to Africa...N-word,'" she said.
Johnson explains that while shocked and surprised by her actions, she simply wanted to get away from her, and to prevent others from allowing the situation from escalating any further.
She knows she isn't in the wrong here, but believes the woman who attacked her has some growing to do. "That’s not on me. That’s a reflection on her," Johnson said. "She needs to look at herself and figure out why she looks down on somebody."
Johnson said she hasn't gone back to that neighborhood since the incident.
