Posted on March 28, 2024

Fringe Political Candidate Who Ran for NYC Mayor Accused of Sucker-Punching TikTokker

Jesse O'Neill, New York Post, March 27, 2024

The man who allegedly sucker-punched a TikTok influencer in New York City is a perennial down-ballot political candidate who ran for mayor, governor and City Council in the past three years.

Skiboky Stora, 40, of East New York, was charged with assault Wednesday in connection with a random Monday attack on Halley Kate, the NYPD said after the influencer told her 1.1 million followers about being punched in the face by a stranger as she walked the streets of Chelsea Monday.

The suspect was set to appear in Manhattan court on Wednesday morning for a previous arrest, court dockets show. He is a frequent candidate for elected office and performing artist who records rap music under the name Designer Attitude.

In a music video posted to his Facebook page, Stora is seen punching the air while boasting of his wealth and status as a comic book-style “Pow” graphic jumps onto the screen.

Kate’s viral video attracted garnered more than 41 million views, as several other women took to the platform to share that they too had recently been sucker punched in Manhattan.

Police did not say if Stora was a suspect in any of the other incidents.

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During a mayoral debate for fringe candidates hosted by Gotham Gazette in 2021, Stora, running under the Out Lawbreaker Party ticket, recounted how he had been shot while living in a homeless shelter in 2005.

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Stora, who says online that he is the great-great-grandson of Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican political activist, notched 264 votes in the general election, falling more than 750,000 votes shy of Democrat Eric Adams, Ballotpedia noted.

Original Article