The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s help locating a man accused of “yelling anti-Asian slurs” before committing a crime.
Commissioner Dermot Shea, who released an accompanying photo, asked the public for help identifying a man who allegedly yelled anti-Asian slurs at a woman and her three children before knocking the woman’s phone to the floor and kicking it off the 5 Train on Tuesday, adding that anyone with information should call 800-577-TIPS.
Help @NYPDHateCrimes find this guy.
On 3/30, on a downtown “5” train approaching @TimesSquareNYC, an unidentified man began yelling anti-Asian slurs at a woman & her 3 kids. The man then knocked the woman’s phone to the floor & kicked it off the train.
☎️ 800-577-TIPS w/ info pic.twitter.com/7swe2SP83j
— Commissioner Shea (@NYPDShea) April 3, 2021
A similar incident occurred on Monday, when a video of a physical altercation on a New York City subway between two men that resulted in the Asian man being repeatedly punched circulated widely on social media platforms. The NYPD announced shortly thereafter that its hate crime division was investigating the matter.
NYPD HATE CRIMES DIVISION INVESTIGATING VIRAL VIDEO OF ASIAN MAN BEING BEATEN ON SUBWAY
The alleged infractions follow a spate of nationwide anti-Asian hate crimes. A recent study revealed hate crimes against Asian Americans spiked almost 150% throughout 2020, which some attributed in part to COVID-19’s original discovery in Wuhan, China, and the decision by many, including former President Donald Trump, to refer to the disease as the “China virus.”
The rise in anti-Asian hate crimes attracted national attention following the deaths of eight people, six of whom were of Asian descent, in three shootings in the Atlanta area last month. The alleged shooter denied his acts were racially motivated, instead saying that he is a “sex addict” who wanted to “eliminate” the “temptation” of massage parlors, according to police.
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Representatives for the NYPD declined to provide the Washington Examiner with relevant documents.
