By Carol Tannenhauser
Three female tourists from Texas were arrested Thursday at around 5 p.m. for allegedly attacking a hostess at Carmine’s restaurant on 91st and Broadway, because she asked to see their vaccination cards, an NYPD spokesperson told WSR.
Enforcement of New York City’s mandate requiring proof of vaccination for inside dining began on Monday, September 13. The onus now is on restaurants, which face stiff fines if the rule is disregarded.
The suspects, who were charged with one count each of misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief, include a mother and daughter from Humble, Texas, and a woman with them from Houston. They are: Kaeita Nkeenge Rankin, 44; Tyonnie Keshay Rankin, 21, and Sally Rechelle Lewis, 49. They were issued Desk Appearance Tickets (DATs), and told to return to court on October 5.
According to the police report:
The victim [who was not named] stated that she did get into a dispute with the above listed defendants over COVID vaccine card, when the defendants did strike the victim mutiple times with a closed fist causing pain and redness to the victim. In the course of the fight, the victim’s necklace did break. (Unknown value of necklace). Victim did sustain bruises, scratches and redness to her face and upper chest and arm. Body-worn camera activated…. Camera footage available at location.
Cellphone video obtained by NBC New York shows the attack. “Tempers flared and the hostess stand is nearly tipped over in the mayhem, with a waiter at one point helping carry someone away from the scene…. In a statement, a spokesperson for Carmine’s said that ‘it’s a shocking and tragic situation when one of our valued employees is assaulted for doing their job — as required by city policies — and trying to make a living.'”
The victim was treated at the scene by EMS.
Update: A lawyer for the women said that they were unjustifiably questioned, according to the Times:
Late Friday, a lawyer representing the women issued a news release in which he said they all had vaccination proof that had been “questioned arbitrarily and unjustifiably” because they are Black and that they had not tried to “forcefully violate” the requirement that they show it to enter the restaurant.
The lawyer, Justin Moore, also said the hostess had been injured when other Carmine’s employees restrained her after she took offense at being “called out for racial discrimination.”
Mr. Bank [Carmine’s spokesperson] denied Mr. Moore’s claims.
“The facts are not going to bear that out,” he said.
Too bad we’re not in Texas, because these women will not serve one day in jail for their violent assault.
Kidding? The Governor wld givethem a parade in TX.
They were taken into custody.
Issued “appearance tickets”.
Custody is not jail. Meaning after a hearing and conviction, jail. They will be released and will laugh all the way back to Texas. Poor waitress. I would sue NYC if I were her.
Sue the people who attacked her.
Why is this only a misdemeanor?
It’s a misdemeanor because the new (and popular) passport rule is enforced by “civilians”. Yes the hostess could sue the 3 women and probably will. Also the perps can be sentenced in absentia and would then have a police record for life hurting employment and credit prospects.
In New York Assault can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a Class D felony or higher level Class B felony.
Be abuse the state of NY doesn’t want wife beaters getting charged for beating women. This is literally true. You have to break teeth or bones to get arrested for anything more than a misdemeanor. I used to work in DV upstate. We had better luck getting assailants jailed for kicking the family cat which IS a felony.
That is a very good question!
Those 3 despicable women won’t be back for their court appearance. Every time this sort of thing happens, the perpetrators must be jailed w/o bond until the court date. This should include any physical assault, including vehicular.
You are correct..if issued,desk appearance TKTS are routinely ignored…the assaulted woman can sue them for damages and make sure they appear,the restaurant can sue them for,I dunno damages etc. if no one does…they won’t appear on a tkt..no way
I agree with jailing these people. It needs to be the equivalent of staking heads out in front of the gates as a warning to others.
I don’t care if you like the law. It is the law. If you don’t like it, go change the law, don’t visit the state, or move out of the state. Don’t beat up the person just doing their job!
What if we went to Texas and beat the heck out of the people taking calls turning in the family, friends and neighbors for abortions….
One wonders what the commenters think of the newly implemented no-bond-release rules in NYC for those taken into custody for assaults committed on their fellow New Yorkers. Suspect if weren’t vaccination sphere opinions would suddenly and inconsistently revert to “no jail time”
Agreed. There will be no consequences for their behavior. They will be on their regularly scheduled flight back to Texas and joking with their friends about us crazy New Yorkers.
I am very sorry the Carmine’s employee had to deal with this. Kudos to her for enforcing the rules. I hope she is OK.
We need laws changed so that there are real consequences for this type of behavior. So many UWSers want less law enforcement and to empty out the jails, but this is exactly why that is not a good idea.
I’ve lived on the UWS most of my adult life and I have never met anyone who wants less law enforcement when it comes to any type of assault. Who exactly are these people?
They should have been made to post bond.
If an East Coast Lib-Tard gets in between a freedom-loving Texan and his chicken parm it’s on! Thankfully, though, they had to leave their guns at home.
The only ‘yard’ here is you.
Could you have made any stupider comment?
What a backwoods ignoramus. Stay in Texas you selfish jerk.
It’s very simple: if anyone doesn’t want to play by the rules, whether they’re from TX or not, they don’t have to go anywhere that requires proof of vaccination. Period. (Nobody is being held down and forced to get vaxxed, no matter how the word ‘freedom’ is now being used.) Always extremely sorry that any workers have to bear the brunt of the attitudes of non-law-abiding jerks who have no respect for community, and we hope that the worker who was on the receiving end of this assault will be ok.
agree! to the point!
go home Texas
Right on!
This is insane. Seriously. That poor hostess.
Shame on these women from TX. Horrible behavior!
According to this story from the Daily News, drawing on police sources, the three women presented vaccination cards that the hostess questioned, suspecting that the cards were bogus.
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-waitress-assault-vaccines-tourists-nypd-20210917-gyca3p2o3vgdfewsnqlnkva2d4-story.html
There is nothing in this Daily News article that indicates any vaccination cards were presented to the Hostess.
I don’t see anywhere in the article where it says this. Are you sure you linked the right article?
Where in this article does it say that?
Well, there seems to be conflicting reports on this. Eyewitness news reported and showed video that was taken during the assault and it is reported that the 3 women from Houston,TX didn’t have vaccination cards on them and were told by the hostess that they would have to sit outside and that’s when the altercation started. So I believe that all three didn’t have the vaccination cards and were told to sit outside! I Don’t believe they had them and told that the cards seemed fake.
so. what’s your point. tourists presenting false vax cards is a frequent occurrence, and a woman visiting Hawaii from Chicago was arrested for doing exactly that after her flight landed (she wrote “Maderna” as the vax she received).
I suspect Bob’s point is just to add additional context to the story, but what it means to me is this hostess is even more of a heroine than the details above suggest. And it rings true with my own experience: when you call people on their selfish, anti-social behavior, they become belligerent because they know what they are doing is wrong and shameful.
It’s been my experience too, and, conversely, Truman Capote’s, who remarked:
“I don’t care what anybody says about me, as long as it isn’t true.”
How naïve we are to think we’re relatively safe because we have a high vaccination rate. Manhattan is full of tourists.
OMG!! Yes! So true!
I feel so badly for that poor woman just doing her job, enforcing a mandate with no protection. No physical protection and no mask protection. Thankfully, waiters serve outside and were able to pull these awful women off her. Three women, punching and choking another woman. This will never be ok or acceptable behavior. It’s disgraceful and disgusting. Where’s their dignity?
Do these women refuse to wear seatbelts? That’s a law and a mandate. I just don’t get it. Everyone is welcomed here..and .it’s such a pity that 3 entitled f*cktards ruin it for everyone.
I just heard from friends that another set of our friends are anti-vax. What’s worse is they have fake vaccine cards. The mom flew to Florida knowing she felt bad and two days later tested positive. They even got a fake vaccine card for their kid so she could travel around Europe. She just flew back to Florida where she also tested positive. The parents, our ex-friends, wanted to put her on a flight and fly her back to the east coast knowing she is positive. Luckily, the rest of our friends screamed at them and now they are driving back. Sadly, I’m sure this same scam is happening thousands of times a day across the states.
We all now rely on these cards and they are cardboard and easily reproduced. There’s a reason why our driver’s license is laminated with full proof security measures so they can’t be faked. Until that happens, we can’t really feel and be safe from people submitting a piece of cardboard.
People like that might impede the freedom and income of others. If states and countries begin to see forged CDC cards, people will be barred from indoor dining, traveling and a host of other liberties we enjoy. Unacceptable behavior anyway you look at this. If you don’t want to get vaccinated stay home.
There isn’t much justice for assaults in NYC. I was punched in the face on subway years ago for no reason. My nose broken. The guy was arrested, was released that day and only had to go to anger management classes.
Attacked on the M11 in Jan 2020 by a crazy man who started squawking like a bird then charged me. The driver did an emergency stop in the middle of the road so I could get away from him. Police officer coincidentally standing on the corner where I got off refused to help. Walked to a station from there and the cop at the desk wouldn’t even file a report.
Nobody cares when you are assaulted in New York City. Nobody. I hate it for the young lady at Carmines, but if this weren’t vaccine related, it wouldn’t have even made the news.
The hostess and/or Carmine’s could file a civil suit against these women for damages in a NY court. If the offenders don’t show up for the hearing, they are subject to entry of a default judgment or possibly arrest warrants. That might cause them to think twice about their behavior.
Out-of-State tourists know excellent place to spend money all the way up to 95th street.
San Genaro Fest is going-on this week and no vaccination card is required.
But their quality/price can’t beat against Carmine. Family size pasta plates are super delicious!! No wonder why these tourists became violent at reception.
Carmine seems to have branch restaurant in D.C, Las Vegas, Atlantic City. Open another in TX next.
A fake vaccine card is a federal crime they should also be charged for that crime as well.
Well. Texans are a massive problem. I think k we should lock them up with 100 unmasked , unvacinsted people for 5 days and refuse to pay their medical bills when they get sick. Why should my insurance go up because them are horrible.
Solution: move Trump’s wall to north of the TX border. Post guards. Let TX enjoy the freedom to be alone.
Hope they jailed these women and hold them until the court date. Serious time-outs needed for all the “adults” throwing tantrums.
Can someone tell me how this is not a felony aggravated assault?Especially committed in defiance of a law. This needs to be dealt with with more than a bench appearance to discourage this behavior. Come on !!!!
Yes this was a horrendous thing to do but a felony is a very serious charge and this is clearly not an aggravated assault.
The standard, if it is still the same in NY since I was a 1L, is “reasonable apprehension of serious bodily injury or death”.
A good example would be brandishing a fire arm at someone. Or threatening to bash someone’s head in with a bottle while holding a bottle. Something along those lines.
Anyway, this seems like more than just a simple assault if they actually hit that poor hostess. I hope the ADA adds a battery charge on there as well.
And for those of you saying they will not show up in October pursuant to the Desk Appearance Ticket, they will then have warrants in NY including a failure to appear.
They were given a desk ticket. I bet they will never show up. The poor hostess. Bouncers need to ask for vax proof. Keep rabid people out of NYC.
That’s terrible. Poor hostess.
Wishing her a speedy recovery!
And Kudos for doing your job and being a loyal employee!
Attention Texas terrorists: Don’t come to NYC if you can’t follow the law. Stay home, feel free to infect each other, and then when you are on a vent, taking up an ICU bed from someone who actually deserves it, you can post a video on social media about how you regret not taking the vaccine. Rinse and repeat.
It wasn’t an “alleged” assault. It was an actual assault and was caught on video. They should have been shipped back to Texas on the first flight. What were these three wack-jobs thinking? “If we beat up the hostess, we’ll get the best table!” Texas sun stroke? Crack cocaine? Is it possible any three people could simultaneously be this idiotic?
“They should have been shipped back to Texas on the first flight.”
Actually, they should have been shipped to Rikers on the first boat.
You can thank DeBlasio for the situation we are in! Crime everywhere, people urinating on the streets, people not living in a civilized matter. DeBlasio says:” Don’t put criminals in jail…… they’ll feel bad……”
Where is Bloomberg? For as ridiculous as Giuliani is today, but he DID improve the situation in NYC when he was in charge. Where is DeBlasio? Out looking for his next job……
Crime today is lower than it was at any time during Giuliani’s administration, and the trend this year is actually down.
The big spike hit last year, and it’s receding.
That’s the data, which you won’t hear from Fox News.
By the way, where is Fox News located, and why isn’t it leaving? (and why does it require its staff to be vaccinated while they tell the rest of the country to resist?)
De Blasio is to blame for the bad behavior three thuggish tourists from Texas? Congrats, rita a.–you win the prize for dumbest comment of the year.
It’s NOT a misdemeanor or mischief!!!
It’s called Assault and Battery and deserves time in the slammer not a slap on the wrist!!!
People from Texas who have not been vaccinated should be barred from entering NY City. In addition, these 3 women should be: detained; required to post a bond in an amount sufficient to pay for the bodily injuries and property damage they caused; required to make a public apology for their actions, which will name each of them and should be broadcast on the news channels in NYC and Texas; fined in an amount determined by the Court; jailed (if the Court determines); and banned from entering NY City for the rest of their lives. This comment was not previously published.
You are overdoing. That should NEVER be request like that. Period. Vaccinated people spread covid like unvaccinated. Educate yourself.
Hmmm…yes….”educate yourself.” Right. Rules are rules. Violence is violence. And your comment about vaccinated people reveals a lot of ignorance. Hint: it’s about percentages. If violent covidiots don’t like the rules in NY, they should stay home. Period. If they attack a person, they should be jailed. Period.
Each state can have its own rules, remember? As a woman, I will not travel to Texas. If you are against vaccination cards the answer is simple, do not travel to NYC. LAW AND ORDER.
Lock em up.
These DISGUSTING women should have been put in jail promptly! They will be long gone before their court appearance. This is ridiculous that they will most likely get away with such unacceptable behavior.
But will they REALLY get away with or FROM it? These choices come full circle. Very sad.
What a World! Who are these terrible violent people ?
What is happening in America..
Not so funny, but they made the front page in their local news paper. Wonder where mommy works – cause my guess she won’t be there for long.
I don’t know, Bill. They live in Texas…they may be celebrated.
What the hell is happening to Texas? Has someone put STUPID in the water? Restrictive voting laws. Anti-abortion laws. Carry guns freely laws. And it is ok to throw punches because you refuse to follow the law?
Let’s give Texas back to Mexico! All those in favor raise your hands.
🙋♀️
*raises hands as high as possible
🙌👍✌👏
Texas would gladly leave the union if we could. Leave all you blue folks to massive taxation. This doesn’t excuse their behavior – I think they need to be put in Jail to pay for what they did. This isn’t a Texas thing all America is acting this way. If you don’t see someone else’s point then your the enemy. I sure hope they loose jobs, wages, and realize they can’t act in violence to if they don’t like something – just look at Washington and Oregon and all the fights over views
I bet you’d miss our tax dollars if you left, Billy.
SadforUWS: it’s ridiculous that you say the victim should sue NYC. It is the three despicable women who committed the assault…period. Such a litigious attitude you have.
I disagree. It is the current legal system of NYC that is responsible for allowing the women who assaulted her to get away with no punishment. Therefore, she should sue NYC. There is video evidence and eyewitness testimony, she should get paid from my and your taxes for the disgusting laws that allow criminal behavior.
I see your comments here often, SadforUWS.
Either you are trolling or you just don’t understand how the world works, not to mention the legal system.
I’m curious, do you even live on the UWS or are you just sad for us?
come meet me at any one of my favorite UWS spots like Zaad, Pizza Collective, Bo’s Bagel’s. Be glad WSR bans 50% of my posts, otherwise you would be calling me other names besides “troll” (which is a tired expression of frustrated ignoramuses).
What horrible women they are. I live in Texas and these women do not represent our state at all. I hope they will be fired from there jobs for the crime. This waitress was doing her JOB !!!!
I think that there is another possibility here. Please, somebody, encourage the victim to find a good lawyer and bring a civil suit against these 3 women.
Seems like a clear-cut win.
Another reason not to welcome Texans anywhere, as if we needed any more.
I am from Texas – we are the state that used to have people like LBJ and Ann Richards. I remember when Texans were independent, strong people who cared for each other. I am taking my daughter and leaving the state as soon as I find another job. I don’t recognize my state any more. My only concern is that people will see my license plate and think I am another Texas a)(*&ole.
Please don’t forget to add Molly Ivins to that list.
And Barbara Jordan!
I totally agree. If anyone here went to Texas, And acted stupid there we would have been jailed because we were from New York.
OMG!!! Has it REALLY come to violence now. Can’t we just try to get along with each other? Tourists should be aware of the requirements of dining out when they visit another area. They should have expected to show their cards, but even if they were unaware of this requirement, there is no excuse for violence.
Exactly! Where is common courtesy and following the law?
I agree with you.
It’s sad that honor is not a quality of life in so many people. How can these 3 women live with themselves? People hide this deficit under the banners of “constitutional right”; “my rights” – to hell with yours! Honor and “do the right thing” are qualities that are fast disappearing. Thank you to those who uphold those qualities. You’re better than you may think you are.
Cops call a “Desk Appearence Ticket” a “Diappearance Ticket” since lots of people never show up for the hearing. I’ll bet Greg Abbott is having a good chuckle about this incident.
As an African-American myself, I am embarrassed by this. The violent & unrestrained among us have summarily destroyed Black image & reputation.
Of course she’s going to sue. Those three won’t be laughing.
When I delivered mail in Trenton. I tried to practice social distance especially with unmasked people. More often than not, I received angry threatening responses like the one the hostess received. Like it or not, many adults have the emotional maturity of spoiled children.
This is NOT communist country! Stop requiring vaccination proof. De Blasio need to go. Only NYC is requiring that. And how stupid it is. Vaccinated people can spread covid at the same rate like unvaccinated. Please De Blasio do me a fever just leave!
Smartest comment in the bunch!
Only 50 states have laws requiring proof of vaccinations. You know that, right?
If you were born here your parents had to prove you were vaccinated to enroll you in school. And you had to do the same for your kids.
How in your fevered head does this become communism? Do you even know what that is?
It was called a misdemeanor. That’s hardly considered a crime. It should be assault with intend to kill since they hit her head with a closed fist.
Don’t assume Texas privilege & mess with NYC.
That dog won’t hunt in Houston either. The LAW is the only fair vehicle for disputes. Those fists should be holstered for their own personal disputes. Most Texans seeing this display are embarrassed. This action dishonors them, and pains their pride. They respect workers who try to do the right thing
What’s wrong with people. Those three females should be given a choice of a really hefty fine, jail time, or get vaccinated. Let’s really see what they value most: money or health
This is horrible
Keep the GD unvaxxed rednecks out of NYC. Seriously- close OUR border.
Texas..please follow up on your threat to secede from the Union. GO!!
One problem is that if you are a regular in a bar/restaurant they know you and just check your vaccine information once. On subsequent visits they know you have been checked so they don’t check again. It is possible that these tourists from Texas saw people just walking right in while they were stopped and asked for vaccination proof. They may have thought that this was disguised racial discrimination.
For what it’s worth… can we come together to help the victim? Perhaps she could use some legal representation, counseling or at the very least some community love and appreciation for doing her best to protect us.
I’m sorry, let’s stop using the race card. I’m black also and if I was in Texas, I’d have to follow the laws there. Why couldn’t these women follow the laws here in New York City. Too bad the hostess wasn’t old school New York and gave them a good old fashioned New York/New Jersey beat down.if they didn’t have vaccine cards, they could have ordered room service at their hotel
In New York, an assault occurs when a person injures someone else without legal justification. Assault can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a Class D felony or higher level Class B felony.