A woman of Asian descent was violently beaten in New York City on Sunday while traveling to a protest against anti-Asian violence in what the police are calling a hate crime.
The 37-year-old woman, who was not identified, was walking in lower Manhattan when a man approached her and picked up her protest sign, the New York Police Department said on Monday.
“The individual tried to put the sign in a trash can, but put the sign on the floor and stepped on it,” said the NYPD. “When the victim asked the man why he did this, he punched her twice in the face with a closed fist.”
The suspect fled to the next Astor Place subway station and the victim was treated for minor injuries at a city hospital, according to police.
The NYPD said its Hate Crime Task Force is investigating.
“The unidentified man is described as being about six feet tall, sixty pounds, average build, lean build, black hair, last seen wearing a Chicago Bulls red hooded sweatshirt, jeans, a black baseball cap , black face mask, black sneakers and carrying a green backpack, “the police said in their public request for help in identifying the suspect.
NBC News reported that activists counted nearly 4,000 hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Island community last year, with women being the most targets.
One suspect was charged with eight counts of murder last week for what the police say was a shootout in several Georgia counties, mainly against women of Asian descent.
The mass shooting renewed calls for racial justice across the country, including the event the New York City victim was trying to attend when he was the target of this alleged hate crime, police said.
