Auburn, WA man to be sentenced for hate crime attack on King County Metro bus
KENT, Wash. - An Auburn man who admitted to a hate crime, violently attacking a Black woman on a King County Metro bus, is set to be sentenced on Tuesday.
Adan C. Hernandez-Mayoral, 24, pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime involving injuries and a dangerous weapon, stemming from an attack on March 7, 2024.
Adan Hernandez-Mayoral appears in court on March 25, 2024. (FOX 13 Seattle)
The backstory:
Hernandez-Mayoral boarded a Metro bus and began making racist remarks, referring to a Black woman as "Rosa Parks" and telling her to move to the back of the bus. He also reportedly yelled, "I don't like Black people, f***in' hate 'em," across the bus.
The woman didn't feel safe and walked to the front of the bus to call 911. When the bus stopped, Hernandez-Mayoral grabbed her by the throat, threw her out the bus door, and threw her against a sidewalk fence.
Hernandez-Mayoral kicked and stomped on the victim before he began using a knife. He allegedly tried to stab the woman several times, but her heavy coat prevented the knife from puncturing her skin. Still, the assault left her with deep, long-lasting bruises all over her body.
After the attack, Hernandez-Mayoral ran away across the street. Neighbors called 911 to report a man hiding in their yard, and Hernandez-Mayoral was located by Kent police officers underneath a car near the scene.
What's next:
Hernandez-Mayoral pleaded guilty to a felony charge of hate crime — bodily injury. Prosecutors are seeking a 54-moth prison sentence (4.5 years) and three years of supervised release.
Prosecutors also said Hernandez-Mayoral has a history of violent behavior, describing him as an active gang member who has prior convictions for domestic assault and robbing three high school students at gunpoint. He also allegedly threatened another stranger on a public bus and stole their backpack just two months before he committed the hate crime.
Hernandez-Mayoral is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of Washington and court documents filed in King County Superior Court.