An Asian American woman has been attacked in New York City by a man who repeatedly kicked her as two people nearby who appeared to be security guards did not intervene, according to surveillance footage released by police.
The 65-year-old was walking in Manhattan on Monday afternoon when a man approached her and kicked her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground, police said.
The man then stamped on her face several times while hurling anti-Asian sentiments at her, officers added, before casually walking away.
The attack came amid a national spike in anti-Asian hate crimes, weeks after a mass shooting in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent.
🚨WANTED for ASSAULT: Do you know this guy? On 3/29/21 at approx 11:40 AM, in front of 360 W 43 St in Manhattan, the suspect punched and kicked a 65-year-old woman while making anti-Asian statements. Any info? DM @NYPDTips or anonymously call them at 800-577-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/WRE4kSHtRG
Advertisement— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) March 30, 2021
New York Police Department said there have been 33 hate crimes with an Asian victim so far this year, news outlets reported.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the video “absolutely disgusting and outrageous” and said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that witnesses did not intervene.
“I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what you do, you’ve got to help your fellow New Yorker,” he said at his daily news briefing.
“If you see someone being attacked, do whatever you can. Make noise. Call out what’s happening. Go and try and help. Immediately call for help. Call 911.
“This is something where we all have to be part of the solution. We can’t just stand back and watch a heinous act happening.”
Footage of the New York City assault sees the two people who appeared to be security guards walk into the frame inside the building and one of them closes the door as the woman lies on the ground.
Here is a closer look at the suspect. Again, if you have any information please DM @NYPDTips or call them at 800-577-TIPS. All calls are anonymous. pic.twitter.com/wOtMz3IfIG
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) March 30, 2021
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The property developer and manager of the building, Brodsky Organisation, wrote on Instagram that it was aware of the assault and said staff members who witnessed it had been suspended pending an investigation.
The woman is in hospital with serious injuries.
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the attack and has asked anyone with information to contact the department. No arrests have been made.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea called the attack “disgusting”.
“I don’t know who attacks a 65-year-old woman and leaves her on the street like that,” he said on TV station NY1.
Mr Shea recently said the agency would increase its outreach and patrols in predominantly Asian communities.
According to a report from Stop AAPI Hate, more than 3,795 incidents were reported to the organisation from March 19 last year to February 28 this year, but that is “only a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur”.
