Man charged with punching two Asian-American women in the face in Boston; was already locked up for attack on elderly woman in Cambridge

A Cambridge man is being held in lieu of $5,000 bail following his arraignment last month that he went up to an Asian-American woman in Chinatown and punched her in the face last April 2 and then about two hours later punched out another Asian-American woman downtown, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Alexandr Ivanenko, 53, was arrested on June 14, the day after he allegedly grabbed a 67-year-old woman by the neck at the Alewife Red Line station, threw her to the ground and then walked away. He was charged with aggravated assault and has been held in lieu of bail since.

Ivanenko was arraigned last month for assault and battery on a person over 60 causing injury, assault and battery, two counts of assault and battery to intimidate and two counts of civil rights violation with injury for the Boston attacks, the Suffolk County DA's office reports. The DA's office provided this account:

Ivanenko approached the two victims, unknown to him, hours apart on April 2 and punched both in the face. The first attack occurred at about 1:14 p.m. as the victim, an elderly Asian-American woman, was walking near Marginal Street in Chinatown. The victim told police a man punched her and then fled. The second attack, also on an Asian-American woman, took place at about 3:24 p.m. in Downtown Crossing. The victim told police she was punched by a man who then fled.

Both victims provided descriptions of their attacker to police. Police viewed surveillance video from both incidents and determined that the attacker in both was the same man. Further investigation identified Ivanenko as the attacker in both incidents.

Innocent, etc.