Auburn, Washington, man sentenced to more than four years in prison for racially motivated attack on Metro bus passenger

Seattle - A 25-year-old Auburn, Washington, man was sentenced today for a federal hate crime for violently assaulting and stabbing a Black female passenger because of her race, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Adan Hernandez-Mayoral was sentenced to 54 months in prison for an incident in which he used a dangerous weapon, a knife, to cause bodily injury to the Victim and he did so because of her race. "The facts of what happened on that bus are despicable," said U.S. District Judge James L. Robart. "It was a prolonged intentional assault on a Black woman…. We need to protect the public from this defendant."

"Racially motivated attacks such as this one shock the conscience of our community," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. "This office will join with our state and local partners to ensure these crimes are investigated and those who commit them will be held accountable. Such hate has no place here."

"Today, we have delivered justice with the sentencing of Adan Hernandez-Mayoral for his brutal, racially motivated attack on the victim," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "Assaults like these destroy our communities by breeding fear and distrust of public places and facilities. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute such cases to restore safety and confidence in our cities' streets and transit systems."

According to court documents, Adan C. Hernandez-Mayoral boarded a King County Metro bus on March 7, 2024, and immediately began making racist comments about Black people. Hernandez-Mayoral started antagonizing the Victim, a Black woman, and yelled, "I don't like Black people, f***in' hate 'em." The defendant continued to yell racist remarks at the Victim referring to the woman as "Rosa Parks" and telling her to move to the back of the bus. When the woman attempted to move away from him, Hernandez-Mayoral followed her, while hiding a knife behind his back. When the bus doors opened at a stop, Hernandez-Mayoral grabbed the woman, pushing her off the bus and into a fence. He immediately began beating her all over her body and, after she fell to the ground, stomping on her. He then used the knife to repeatedly and violently stab the woman, whose thick coat spared her from suffering serious injuries from Hernandez-Mayoral's attack. Hernandez-Mayoral fled the scene but was located and arrested by officers from the Kent Police Department later that evening.

"This was a horrific and deeply disturbing racially motivated assault that targeted an innocent member of our community because of the color of her skin. I am pleased to have reached this conviction on her behalf. Hate-fueled violence has no place in Kent," said Chief Rafael Padilla of the Kent Police Department. "I want to commend the Kent Police Officers and Detectives whose swift response, thorough investigation, and unwavering commitment to justice led to the arrest of the offender and laid the foundation for this successful prosecution. Their professionalism and dedication ensured that this case received the attention and resources it deserved. I also want to express my sincere appreciation to the FBI, Seattle Office, the King County Prosecutor's Office, and the United States Attorney's Office, for their outstanding partnership throughout this case. This outcome reinforces the importance of strong partnerships between local and federal law enforcement in our shared mission of to protect our communities and hold violent offenders accountable."

"The victim in this case was minding her own business on a familiar public transit route when a stranger made offensive comments about her race, threw her off the stopped bus, and then brutally assaulted her with a knife," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. "Together with our partners such as the Kent Police Department, the FBI will hold accountable those like Mr. Hernandez-Mayoral who engage in violent hate crimes."

On December 23, 2025, Hernandez-Mayoral pleaded guilty to Hate Crime Causing Bodily Injury, admitting that he used a dangerous weapon, a knife, to cause bodily injury to the Victim and he did so because of her race and color.

Restitution to the victim will be determined at a later date.

The case was investigated by the Kent Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M. Manca for the Western District of Washington and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, with valuable assistance from the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.