(CNN) A man who allegedly yelled anti-transgender slurs and spat on a transgender journalist last week was arrested and charged with hate crimes, the New York Police Department announced. Pablo Valle, 26, of Queens, was arrested and charged with hate crimes for first-degree harassment and second-degree aggravated harassment for the attack on Serena Daniari. Andrew Cuomo promised action in response to the attack, directing the New York State Police's Hate Crimes Task Force to aid in the investigation. The New York police department's transit bureau said it investigated 75 hate crimes in 2019, a 42% increase from 2018. "Unfortunately, we're seeing an uptick in hate crimes and hate incidents across several demographics and individuals."

Source: CNN February 01, 2020 04:07 UTC