A political candidate who ran for office multiple times in New York was arrested Wednesday for allegedly punching a TikToker in the face, police said.
Skiboky Stora has ran for mayor, governor and city council as a down-ballot candidate over a three=year span, according to the New York Post. He was reportedly charged with assault after allegedly punching Halley Kate, a random woman, in the face Monday, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) said.
Kate posted a viral video following the alleged attack as she walked down the streets of Chelsea, the outlet reported. In the video, the victim was seen with a red face. “You guys, I was literally just walking, and a man came up and punched me in the face. Oh my god, it hurts so bad. I can’t even talk,” she alleged.
“Literally, I fell to the ground,” she continued. “And now this giant goose egg is forming and I’m like — oh my god. It’s so crazy!”
A slew of TikTokkers have come forward to reveal they’ve been punched on the streets of New York City
Social media influencer Halley Kate posted a video claiming she was punched in the face in broad daylight while walking the streets of NYC pic.twitter.com/rpNdxE2tkY
— Ronald Kelly (@RonK3l) March 27, 2024
Stora was scheduled to appear in Manhattan court on Wednesday morning, court documents showed.
Along with running for office as a down-ballot candidate, Stora also released rap music under the alias Designer Attitude, according to the New York Post. A music video on Facebook showed the 40-year-old suspect punching the air as he bragged about his wealth and status, the outlet reported. Stora’s Facebook account also lists a SoundCloud account.
After Kate posted her video, other women on TikTok shared videos about similar experiences of being attacked in the city, according to the New York Post. However, Kate reportedly insisted that New York gave her “everything [she’s] grateful for,” saying that her experience was an isolated case.
“I am not hear to argue that New York City can be really scary at times, but I have lived here for six years, and I have not had anything even remotely similar happen,” Kate stated, the outlet reported.
Another New York City woman gets punched in the face at random pic.twitter.com/OiFshDP4WC
— TRACKER DEEP (@tracker_deep) March 28, 2024