David Taplin, 58, of the Bronx, was arrested and charged after allegedly assaulting a Jewish woman aboard an MTA bus in Brooklyn on Monday, according to the New York City Police Department.
Taplin faces assault and harassment charges in connection with the incident on an eastbound B11 bus, which runs along Avenue J in Brooklyn.
Police said officers responded to a 911 call at about 1:36 p.m. near 1112 Avenue J in the Midwood neighborhood. A 40-year-old woman told officers that Taplin “approached her from behind and slapped her with an open hand on her upper back multiple times, causing pain.”
The victim declined medical attention at the scene, police said. Taplin was taken into custody without incident.
An NYPD spokesman told JNS that the case is not being investigated as a hate crime because the suspect allegedly did not make any statements during the assault.
