Man wearing MAGA hat arrested after allegedly pushing Mexican migrant onto subway tracks
A New York man wearing a red 'Make America Great Again' hat was arrested after he reportedly pushed a Mexican immigrant onto the NYC subway tracks on Friday, according to reports.
The man, identified as 47-year-old Willie Ames, was taken into custody on Thursday morning on Staten Island after a thorough police investigation into the assault which is being considered as a hate crime, reports state.
The Mexican man, 24-year-old Luis Lopez, was taken to a nearby hospital after the incident as he suffered cuts on his head after Ames allegedly pushed him onto the tracks head first after an argument.
According to police, Ames also spewed racial slurs during the assault and accused Lopez of taking jobs bringing drugs into the country.
Ames comments reflected President Donald Trump's xenophobic remarks about illegal immigrants. The Republican, during his presidential campaign in 2016, had pledged to build a wall along the Mexican and United States border, in an attempt to keep illegal immigrants at bay, who he claimed, bring drugs into the country.
Make America Great Again became a symbol of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
Reports state that the incident occurred on a 4 train as it approached the Union Square station in Manhattan. Lopez said that Ames began harassing him and his friend on the 4 train, so the duo decided to switch trains at the Union Square stop at 14th street to get away from Ames.
However, police said, Ames followed them and punched Lopez in the multiple times and shoved him off the platform, onto the train tracks, and ran off.
"I don't know why he targeted me. He started yelling that I was there to take his job and that we bring drugs here," Lopez told the Daily News.
"I fell head-first. My head hit the railing. I tried to get up, but lost consciousness. I couldn't move. My friend jumped in to get me out. He saved my life," the victim added.
Police later released a surveillance video of Ames in the red hat and his records show that he has previously been arrested for drug possession, assault and robbery, according to reports.