Woman Charged With Hate Crime In UES Pepper Spray Attack: Report

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The woman accused of pepper spraying an Uber driver in an unprovoked attack on the Upper East Side is now being charged with a hate crime, according to WPIX report citing the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, was arraigned on Monday on charges of assault and assault as a hate crime after authorities said she pepper sprayed Shohel Mahmoud in the face, WPIX reported.

The attack happened around 11:30 p.m. on Lexington Avenue near East 65th Street inside Mahmoud's car, according to previous reports.

Video of the attack obtained by CBS New York showed Guilbeault and a friend quietly sitting in the backseat on their phones before Guilbeault suddenly lunged forward and pepper sprayed Mahmoud in the eyes, grabbing his arm as he tried to escape.

Guilbeault can be heard saying, "Get him out of this car. Get him out. Get him out. Get him out."

In an interview with WPIX, Mahmoud said he believes the incident was racially motivated.

According to a complaint obtained by WPIX, the attack happened after Mahmoud began praying in Arabic while stopped at an intersection. When her friend asked Guilbeault why she attacked Mahmud, Guilbeault allegedly responded, "he’s brown."

Following arraignment, Guilbeault was granted supervised release, WPIX reported. She is due back in court on Oct. 3.