SUSPECT CAUGHT...
A bleach-blond homeless man arrested on suspicion of racist attacks on seven Asian women is an Army vet whose mom has a restraining order against him, and who allegedly hurled n-word slurs at NYPD cops after his apprehension.
Steven Zajonc, 28, was apprehended for the February 27 attacks on Wednesday, after barricading himself inside a bathroom at the New York Public Library and causing a standoff with the police.
DailyMail.com can now reveal that Zajonc, who has ties to both Sarasota in Florida and Staten Island, served in the US Army as a private between February 2015 and March 2016.
Social media posts reveal he was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas, which is home to the 1st Infantry Decision. A US Army spokesman told DailyMail.com that Zajonc was never deployed. It is unclear why he left the armed forces.
Meanwhile, Zajonc is also believed to have continued his alleged racist behavior after his arrest. Law enforcement sources told DailyMail.com that he screamed the n-word at black NYPD officers after his detention. He also has a prior arrest for graffiti in Staten Island, although it is unclear when that incident took place, and what the tagging involved.
Cops say they remain unclear about why Zajonc - whose most recent address was listed as a homeless shelter in Midtown Manhattan - specifically targeted Asian women, beyond the broad suspected racist motive they've already shared.
Zajonc now faces charges of assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and harassment.
He is accused of targeting seven women on February 27 between 6.30pm and 8.30pm, from Madison Avenue and East 30th Street to Broadway and East Eighth Street.
While Zajonc does not appear to have a criminal history in New York, court records in Florida reveal that in October 2020, his mother, Denise Zajonc, sought an injunction for protection against him, citing domestic violence.
According to the court docket, Zajonc was not served with the injunction. The documents related to this case, which has been dormant since October 2021, are not publicly available online because they have a 'protected' status.
Older photos posted on Zajonc's Instagram page, and his sister and mother's Facebook accounts showed the homeless suspect with dark hair. At the time of his arrest on Wednesday, he was seen sporting platinum-blond locks and bleached eyebrows.
His alleged attacks come after a spate of high-profile attacks on Asian-Americans in recent weeks - two of them deadly. Last week, Asian grandmother GuiYing Ma, 61, died after fighting for three months to recover from brain damage after being smashed in the face with a rock during a New York City street attack.
More of the story .
Florida man, 28, arrested on suspicion of attacking seven Asian women faced domestic violence claims | Daily Mail Online
A bleach-blond homeless man arrested on suspicion of racist attacks on seven Asian women is an Army vet whose mom has a restraining order against him, and who allegedly hurled n-word slurs at NYPD cops after his apprehension.
Steven Zajonc, 28, was apprehended for the February 27 attacks on Wednesday, after barricading himself inside a bathroom at the New York Public Library and causing a standoff with the police.
DailyMail.com can now reveal that Zajonc, who has ties to both Sarasota in Florida and Staten Island, served in the US Army as a private between February 2015 and March 2016.
Social media posts reveal he was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas, which is home to the 1st Infantry Decision. A US Army spokesman told DailyMail.com that Zajonc was never deployed. It is unclear why he left the armed forces.
Meanwhile, Zajonc is also believed to have continued his alleged racist behavior after his arrest. Law enforcement sources told DailyMail.com that he screamed the n-word at black NYPD officers after his detention. He also has a prior arrest for graffiti in Staten Island, although it is unclear when that incident took place, and what the tagging involved.
Cops say they remain unclear about why Zajonc - whose most recent address was listed as a homeless shelter in Midtown Manhattan - specifically targeted Asian women, beyond the broad suspected racist motive they've already shared.
Zajonc now faces charges of assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and harassment.
He is accused of targeting seven women on February 27 between 6.30pm and 8.30pm, from Madison Avenue and East 30th Street to Broadway and East Eighth Street.
While Zajonc does not appear to have a criminal history in New York, court records in Florida reveal that in October 2020, his mother, Denise Zajonc, sought an injunction for protection against him, citing domestic violence.
According to the court docket, Zajonc was not served with the injunction. The documents related to this case, which has been dormant since October 2021, are not publicly available online because they have a 'protected' status.
Older photos posted on Zajonc's Instagram page, and his sister and mother's Facebook accounts showed the homeless suspect with dark hair. At the time of his arrest on Wednesday, he was seen sporting platinum-blond locks and bleached eyebrows.
His alleged attacks come after a spate of high-profile attacks on Asian-Americans in recent weeks - two of them deadly. Last week, Asian grandmother GuiYing Ma, 61, died after fighting for three months to recover from brain damage after being smashed in the face with a rock during a New York City street attack.
More of the story .
Florida man, 28, arrested on suspicion of attacking seven Asian women faced domestic violence claims | Daily Mail Online
can't say I'm surprised. You gotta be a real weird mf to just randomly attack anyone, especially women
