An Asian woman was allegedly punched in the face by a stranger while waiting to cross the street in Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown.
Catherine Xu was standing at Eighth and H streets NW when a stranger randomly struck her in the face on May 30.
“All of a sudden, I just feel like an impact to my face,” Xu told NBC Washington. “Someone had run up and punched me out of nowhere.”
A bystander immediately jumped in and chased after the attacker to help her, according to Xu.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
“I’m really glad the bystander stepped in,” she said. “That made a world of difference. I don’t know what would have happened if there wasn’t any intervention. At least feeling like I’m not alone out there is a little helpful. That restores my faith in humanity a little bit.”
Xu reportedly visited urgent care after the incident. While she did not have any visible injuries, Xu said that she could not eat solid food for a day due to the pain in her jaw.
“I’ve spent the past year-and-a-half or so, ever since the Atlanta shooting, just not really feeling safe anywhere,” Xu was quoted as saying, noting that the incident was shocking but not surprising.
Xu is thankful to the man who helped her, and she is looking forward to meeting him.
The incident, which authorities are not considering a hate crime, is currently being investigated by the D.C. police.
Featured Image via NBC Washington
