Hammer-wielding woman seen in viral racist video charged with three felony charges

Authorities said a hammer-wielding woman caught on video yelling racist remarks outside the family’s home in St. Louis last year was charged Wednesday with three felony counts.

Fatima Suarez, 22, who said her family has been harassed for more than a year, said on Wednesday that the viral video from the Ring camera should not have been used to bring charges.

The video showed a woman banging on Suarez’s front door with a hammer and shouting racist remarks. Suarez originally posted the video on TikTok, and it was reposted by a popular user this week.

“It’s funny that in order for them to actually do something, you have to make a video that goes viral,” Suarez said. “The good news is that she has finally been charged.”

The St. Louis District Attorney identified the woman as Judy Ann Kline, 54, from St. Louis. She is charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree property damage, and illegal use of a weapon in connection with the January 5, 2022, break-in of Suarez’s home.

Suarez said that this meeting began when her father and younger sister, who was then 4 years old, heard a noise in the basement.

According to Suarez, Suarez’s father went down to the basement and saw a stranger with a hammer. According to her, the woman entered the house by breaking the glass door.

According to Suarez, Suarez’s father closed the door leading to the basement and walked out with his young daughter.

Fatima Suarez.
Fatima Suarez.KSDC

The woman then appeared at the front door, where a Ring video appears showing her brandishing a knocker at the door and yelling racist remarks.

Suarez said the attack was racially motivated.

“The whole point of hacking was not even to steal something. It was because of race,” Suarez said. She noted that her family is of Mexican origin.

In the Ring video, a woman is heard demanding documents because “I know you didn’t buy this house – you don’t have enough money.”

In another part of the video, a woman says, “Get off my property!” Other footage shows the woman describing herself as “an American citizen who is mad at you.”

In the video, a woman can also be heard saying, “What the hell are you doing in my house? Get out, bitch. Get out. This is my home,” according to the probable cause statement.

Kline also smashed the glass door of the home’s dryer, according to a statement of probable cause, which also noted that “the defendant has reportedly returned to this address several times over the past year since the incident.”

A search of public records revealed that Kline’s last name was linked to the Suarez house in the 90s. Suarez said she heard rumors that Kline grew up in the house, or that her family owned it decades ago.

Suarez said her family has lived in the house for about ten years.

On Wednesday afternoon, it was unclear if Kline had a lawyer. She could not be contacted for comment.

Suarez said Kline harassed her family for a year, including on Feb. 1 when she allegedly tried to pick the door lock. In March, Suarez also accused Kline of stealing mail in March and spending hours away from home in December.

St. Louis mailing list reported that the woman was arrested in connection with other disturbances in the house in 2022. Arrests on charges of violating municipal rights and other violations of public order took place on March 17 and December 12, respectively, the newspaper reported.

NBC News requested arrest reports but did not immediately receive them on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the city attorney’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

Before the charges were announced, the district attorney’s office said in a statement Wednesday that when police submit cases, the police department determines a public safety threat to assess whether “cases should be dealt with within 24 hours of the filing of a warrant for arrest”.


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