Repeat offender not charged with assault after beating up Asian victim in NYC robbery
By Carl Samson
April 1, 2022
A repeat offender accused of punching, kicking and flinging a Filipino man against a wall during a Manhattan robbery earlier this week has not been charged with assault, according to reports.
Rasheed Osundairo, 30, reportedly attacked his victim at a McDonald’s self-serve kiosk on Seventh Avenue at around 7:40 a.m. on Monday. Security footage shows him fleeing the scene after taking the man’s phone and wallet.
The victim, identified as 53-year-old Melvin Dizon, suffered a severe head injury and was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical but stable condition.
Speaking to the New York Daily News from his hospital bed, Dizon claimed that no one tried to help him: “I was hoping people were going to help me, but they didn’t… they were just watching and they didn’t get involved. I guess they’re scared.”
The incident marked the second anti-Filipino attack in Manhattan in two days. On Tuesday, the Philippine Consulate General in New York issued a warning for Filipino residents and called on authorities to “do more” to ensure public safety.
Osundairo was arrested on Tuesday after an off-duty police officer recognized him on the subway. He was charged with robbery.
Despite reportedly beating up his victim, however, Osundairo has not been charged with assault. The incident is also not being investigated as a hate crime.
Police sources noted that Osundairo has nearly two dozen prior run-ins with the authorities. He was paroled in December 2016 after being sent to prison for an attempted robbery.
In one prior incident, Osundairo allegedly bit the tip of a teenager’s nose off inside a Queens deli and then attempted to eat it. Police said the teenager was trying to defend his mother, who was being hit by Osundairo with a stick.
After Tuesday’s arrest, Osundairo was charged with assault for another incident that occurred on the subway on March 23. He was also charged with criminal possession of stolen property for the items that police found on him during his Tuesday arrest.
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