Arrest made in Hempstead bus depot assault, cops say

Nassau police on Thursday arrested a homeless man who they said choked a woman and then punched her in the face at the Hempstead bus depot in early July.

Javone Ferguson, 20, was arrested at the Hempstead Transit Center, where police said he assaulted the woman at about 1:30 a.m. on July 1. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in First District Court in Hempstead on charges of second-degree robbery, second-degree assault, second-degree strangulation and forcible touching, Nassau police said.

Police said Ferguson approached the 26-year-old woman and began choking her. She passed out for a few seconds, police said, adding that Ferguson began punching her in the face when she regained consciousness and then grabbed her handbag.

The victim began to scream, and the suspect dropped the bag and ran, police said.

It was unclear Thursday whether Ferguson had retained an attorney.