May. 25, 2023 By Bill Parry
Detectives from the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force arrested a Brooklyn man on May 23 for spray painting anti-Asian graffiti on a Far Rockaway wine and liquor store last month.
Angel Mario, 43, who lives at a homeless shelter for men on Clarkson Avenue in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, was taken into custody and booked at the 101st Precinct in Far Rockaway on hate crimes and other charges for an incident on the night of April 19.
Investigators determined that it was Mario who exited an A train at the Far Rockaway and Mott Avenue subway station just before 11 p.m. on April 19 and walked to the bus stop located at the corner of Mott Avenue and Beach Channel Drive.
While waiting for the bus, he approached Mott Avenue Liquor & Wine, located at 21-35 Mott Ave., and spray painted an anti-Asian statement that read “F*** you gook” on the front gate, according to a police spokesperson. When the bus arrived at the stop, the man boarded and left the location to parts unknown.
Mario is charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime, making graffiti, aggravated harassment and criminal mischief, according to the NYPD.