Three suspects are being sought out in connection with an attack on a 30-year-old Asian man in New York City on October 23.
Reported incident: Security footage from the incident provided the New York Police Department with images of the attack and perpetrators.
- According to the NYPD Hate Crimes Twitter, five people approached the man around 10:30 p.m. near 31st St. and Fifth Ave in Manhattan’s Koreatown.
- The New York Daily News reported that one of the perpetrators confronted the victim asking, “What are you doing here, Asian?”
- Three members of the group then allegedly began physically assaulting the victim with their fists and wooden sticks.
Hate crimes continue to rise: The number of reported hate crimes against Asian Americans has spiked nationwide since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
- New York City established a permanent Asian Hate Crimes Task Force in September 2020 to document and address incidents in response to a spike in reported cases that year, a trend that has continued into 2021.
In the first half of 2021 alone, there was a 395% increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans reported in New York City as compared to in 2020.
Featured image via NYPD
