Woman with History of Violence, Hate Crimes Accused of Attempted Kidnapping in Brooklyn
Authorities say Chrissy Payne, who has multiple pending cases, tried to take a toddler from his mother outside a McDonald's.
A woman with a history of violence and prior hate crime charges is accused of attempting to kidnap a 4-year-old boy outside a Brooklyn McDonald's, prosecutors said Sunday.
Chrissy Payne, 47, was arraigned on attempted kidnapping and endangering-the-welfare charges for the September 14 incident. Prosecutors also stated that she faces felony hate-crime assault charges for a separate incident on a city bus in August.
According to Assistant District Attorney Che Aroyewun, on August 19, Payne allegedly told a bus passenger, “I don’t want to sit next to no white B-word,” before striking the person in the face with a closed fist. That case was pending at the time of her recent arrest.
In the attempted kidnapping incident, Payne allegedly approached the 4-year-old boy while he was sitting on a bench with his grandmother outside a McDonald's in Crown Heights. Prosecutors said Payne told the child, “Come with Mama, that’s my son,” and grabbed his arm.
The boy's mother, off-duty NYPD officer Anyia James Roberts, who is seven months pregnant, intervened and retrieved her son, prompting Payne to flee, authorities reported.
Payne was apprehended and charged five days later. Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Emily Ruben ordered Payne held on $50,000 cash bail or a $100,000 bond. Her attorney indicated that the bail amount was effectively a remand order given her financial situation.
Court records indicate that Payne has four other open cases dating back to April, including charges for petty larceny, assault, and an earlier hate crime assault in July. During her arraignment, Payne attempted to address the judge, stating, “Number one, I only had a court date. I didn’t have no convictions. Second, of all, I didn’t just hit somebody. She did something to me, too.”