Washington — A Washington state man has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for a racially motivated attack in which he repeatedly stabbed a Black woman after targeting her with racial slurs on a public bus.
Adan C. Hernandez-Mayoral was sentenced to 54 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to a hate crime causing bodily injury. Federal prosecutors said Hernandez-Mayoral attacked the victim because of her race and color during the March 7, 2024 incident.
According to court documents, Hernandez-Mayoral boarded a King County Metro bus and immediately began making racist comments about Black people. Prosecutors said he singled out a Black female passenger, telling her, “I don’t like Black people, f***in’ hate ’em,” and referring to her as “Rosa Parks” while ordering her to move to the back of the bus.
When the woman attempted to distance herself, Hernandez-Mayoral followed her while concealing a knife behind his back. After the bus stopped and its doors opened, he allegedly grabbed the victim, forced her off the bus, pushed her into a fence, and began punching and stomping her. He then repeatedly stabbed the woman with the knife. Authorities said the victim’s thick coat helped prevent more serious injuries.
Hernandez-Mayoral fled the scene but was arrested later that evening by officers with the Kent Police Department.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the sentencing delivered justice for a “brutal, racially motivated attack,” adding that violent assaults driven by hate undermine public safety and confidence in public spaces.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd for the Western District of Washington said racially motivated attacks “shock the conscience” and pledged continued cooperation among federal, state, and local authorities to prosecute such crimes.
FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington said the victim had been “minding her own business” when she was attacked because of her race. Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla described the assault as “horrific and deeply disturbing,” saying hate-fueled violence has no place in the community.
Hernandez-Mayoral pleaded guilty to the federal hate crime charge on Dec. 23, 2025. The case was investigated by the Kent Police Department and the FBI, with assistance from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
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