The suspect allegedly punched the Asian man in the face repeatedly and walked away with his shirt off
A man allegedly attacked an Asian man on the street and bit part of his finger off while telling him to return to his country. The 48-year-old unnamed victim was both bitten and punched in the Wednesday morning encounter in New York City.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) Hate Crimes Task Force tweeted surveillance footage of a shirtless suspect walking away after the attack at 9.50am near the intersection of West 43rd Street and 11th Avenue.
‘A male Asian, 48, was repeatedly punched in the face by a male who said “go back to your country” and also bit two of the victim’s fingers causing the tip of one to be severed,’ the task force wrote.
The video did not show the actual attack. The suspect, a man with a beard, is seen wearing pants and walking away with a red article of clothing in his left hand.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a statement addressing the incident, as Manhattan has continued to see hate crimes against Asians.
‘In what has now become an alarming, disgusting pattern, we have learned that yet another Asian American was attacked violently in Manhattan. This needs to end,’ Cuomo stated.
‘I want the Asian American community to remember that we stand with them against hate. As New Yorkers we are forever proud of our diversity and we reject any cowardly attempts to divide us.’
The governor added that ‘justice needs to be done and I am directing the New York State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to offer their assistance in the investigation of this attack’.
Anyone with information is asked to contact NYPD.
Hate crimes against Asians have been documented across the country in recent months, including in a series of mass shootings in March at Atlanta area spas in which six of eight victims were Asian women.
Lawmakers are working at the federal level to try to curb such violence. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives sent a bill aimed at combating rising anti-Asian hate crimes to President Joe Biden to sign into law. It would provide states with grants to operate hotlines for reporting hate crimes, as well as a position within the Department of Justice dedicated to reviewing coronavirus-related hate incidents.
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