Florida woman busted in hate-spray attack

A Florida woman has been busted for pepper-spraying four young Asian women during a caught-on-camera clash in Manhattan, police said Saturday.

Cops in Chelsea took Madeline Barker, 47, into custody Friday after they recognized her as the woman in the bias-fueled June 11 attack, a police spokeswoman said.

Barker, who is old enough to be the mother of the victims, picked a fight with them as they hung out near 14th St. and Ninth Ave. in the Meatpacking District.

The victims, a 25-year-old woman and three pals, all 24, told ABC7 they were hanging out with friends when Barker (photo) accused them of harassing her.

She then allegedly pepper-sprayed the women, shoving the canister in front of one victim’s face.

“It was so painful,” that victim told ABC7. “I couldn’t open my eyes for about 40 minutes.”

Barker told an Asian man standing nearby that he should “take all your b—-hes back where you came from,” police said. The victims said they didn’t know the man.

Cops circulated photos of Barker on social media and asked the public for any information about her whereabouts.

Barker, of Merritt Island, Fla., was charged with attempted assault, assault and harassment as hate crimes. Her arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court was pending Saturday.

Also on Saturday, police released images of two young women who attacked two Asian girls following an argument on a Sx61 bus rolling through Staten Island on April 8.

The victims, 17 and 15, were chatting with each other when one of the suspects screamed “Stop being so loud and being Chinese,” cops said. One of the aggressors then put her feet on one of the victim’s bags, sparking an argument.

The two terrors slapped and pulled the two victims’ hair before jumping off the bus on Richmond Hill Road near Ring Road in Bull’s Head, police said.

Despite these two recent attacks, hate crimes against Asians are down this year citywide, with 25 incidents during the first four months of the year compared with 67 during the same time frame in 2021.

Anyone with information regarding the Staten Island attack was urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.