A Jamaica man was arrested Sunday, March 27, and charged with hate crimes after allegedly smashing in the windows of a church earlier this month.
Tonnie Smith, 32, of Merrick Boulevard, was taken into custody by police from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica and charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime and aggravated harassment as a hate crime for allegedly vandalizing the Community Church of Christ during the early morning of Tuesday, March 8, according to the NYPD.
Video surveillance images show the suspect just before 1:30 a.m. allegedly using a stick to break the front window frame of the main entrance to the Jamaica house of worship and the glass window located by the front entrance ramp. The suspect then fled on foot.
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Unit investigated the incident but it is not clear what motivated the vandalism, police said.
