Man punches Asian woman on way to anti-Asian violence protest in NYC after snatching her sign and stomping on it
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A woman of Asian descent has reportedly faced violent assault while she was on her way to anti-Asian violence protest in New York City. Police have called the attack a hate crime that happened on Sunday, March 21, when the 37-year-old unidentified victim was walking in lower Manhattan.
The New York Police Department said Monday, March 22, as the victim was walking, an unidentified man suddenly came in front of her and took away her protest sign. It added, “The individual attempted to place the sign into a garbage can but then placed the sign on the ground and stomped on it. When the victim asked the male why he did that, he punched her twice in the face with a closed fist.” After assaulting the woman, the accused reportedly fled onto the nearby Astor Place subway station while the victim was taken to a city hospital where she received treatment for minor injuries. The case has been probed by the New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force.
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The police also issued a public statement describing the suspect’s appearance, which stated: “The unidentified male is described as being approximately 6'1" tall, 200 pounds, with a medium complexion, slim build, black hair, last seen wearing a red Chicago Bulls hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, a black baseball hat, a black face mask, black sneakers and carrying a green backpack.” Later in an update, the department tweeted, “APPREHENDED and charged with a HATE CRIME. @NYPDDetectives @NYPD109Pct @NYPD9Pct.”
APPREHENDED and charged with a HATE CRIME. @NYPDDetectives @NYPD109Pct @NYPD9Pct https://t.co/dRBgyhxQNw
— NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes) March 22, 2021
In another incident, an elderly man from Sri Lanka was attacked on the New York subway. The victim identified as the 68-year-old Narayange Bodhi was minding his business riding an uptown No. 1 train to his security job on Friday, March 19, when the accused, Marc Mathieu, punched him in the face. The 36-year-old suspect was wearing a fedora, black leather jacket, pink hoodie, and an elaborate gold necklace when he boarded the train at 2:40 pm and hit the man. Mathieu also allegedly yelled, “You motherf---ing Asian,” before the attack.
George Okrepkie, who witnessed the incident, said the attack was “racially motivated”. The 9/11 survivor also stated, “I could not believe that somebody would attack a man of that age. Before I could even look he was standing on top of him. I was in a state of shock. It’s an incredibly disgusting attack on an Asian American. I tried to go after the assailant but he took off. I went back to the elderly gentleman, took off my scarf, and wrapped it around him, waiting for the EMT and NYPD to show up.”
Okrepkie continued, “I took photos of the incident to show that crimes keep happening in NYC subways week after week. I just had lunch with a friend of mine, who is Asian American, and it’s brutal to see the rise in crimes against Asian Americans.”
Mathieu was arrested on Sunday, March 21, while he was riding a Manhattan-bound Staten Island Ferry. He has been pressed with an assault charge. However, it’s not officially known why he attacked the old man.