In a peculiar scene at Manhattan Supreme Court, Amira Hunter, a 23-year-old woman accused of assaulting subway cellist Iain S. Forrest, attempted to plead guilty on assault charges. However, her lawyer, Molly Kamus, intervened and prevented her from proceeding further. The incident occurred on February 19 at the Herald Square subway station, where Hunter allegedly struck Forrest in the head with a bottle while he performed.
During the court proceeding, Hunter, dressed in a beige prison jumpsuit, displayed smiles and stuck her tongue out at photographers. Prosecutors requested an increase in her bail following a separate shoplifting arrest on March 5, which occurred after she had been placed on supervised release by Judge Marva Brown for the subway attack. Hunter was accused of stealing a $325 Moncler baseball cap from a Midtown Nordstrom.
Despite prosecutors initially requesting a $10,000 bail, Judge Gregory Carro set it at $500 bond. However, during the same hearing, the judge sided with prosecutors and increased the bail to either $10,000 cash or a $10,000 partially insured bond, in response to their request for $15,000 cash bail. Hunter’s attorney argued for a $1 bail, citing her client’s lack of income, but the judge noted that Hunter had not complied with supervised release rules and was rearrested.
