The New York Police Department is investigating an attack that resulted in a severed finger on an Asian man as a hate crime.
The 48-year-old victim was punched in the face and had two of his fingers bitten, which caused the middle tip of his finger to be severed, police said. The suspect allegedly told the man to “go back to your country” before the incident, which happened Tuesday morning in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.
YANG CAMPAIGN SAYS STEPHEN MILLER’S APPROVING TWEETS ARE ‘HURTING US’
The victim was taken to a local hospital for cuts to his forehead and a swollen eye, as well as the severed fingertip, according to NBC 4.
The suspect, last seen shirtless, wearing blue jeans, and holding a red sweatshirt, remains at large. He is believed to be in his 40s.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, as well as the state police’s hate crimes unit, upon request of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is investigating the incident.
“In what has now become an alarming, disgusting pattern, we have learned that yet another Asian American was attacked violently in Manhattan. This needs to end. I want the Asian American community to remember that we stand with them against hate,” Cuomo said in a statement.
Hate crimes against Asian Americans rose 223% in New York City in the first quarter of 2021 compared to 2020, an April study from the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, found.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Hate crimes against Asian Americans rose 150% in 2020, a separate study from the same center found, leading to speculation that the coronavirus pandemic could be linked to the uptick.
