Members of the NYPD congregate in Times Square near a police precinct for a security briefing as security throughout the city is increased ahead of a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial on April 20, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by AFP)
A “horrific” attack on an Asian man has been assigned to the hate crimes unit of the New York Police Department (NYPD).
The Hill on Saturday said the hate crimes unit of NYPD is helping lead the investigation into the unprovoked assault against an Asian American man in Manhattan.
The brutal attack happened on Friday at around 8:20 p.m. local time near the corner of Third Avenue and East 125th Street in East Harlem, police said.
The suspect pushed the 61-year to the ground and kicked him repeatedly in the head and face.
The unconscious victim was found by a bus driver and rushed to a hospital.
Police said the victim, who had sustained significant injuries, was in critical yet stable condition.
A police spokesperson told local media on Saturday that it remained unclear whether any anti-Asian statements were being made during the attack.
The assault is the latest amid a spike in anti-Asian attacks that has become frequent in the United States.
There were at least 62 anti-Asian hate crimes reported to police between January 1 and April 18, compared to 12 reported during the same time period in 2020, according to NYPD.
The NYPD said it had stepped up patrols in Asian communities across New York to the fight hate crimes.
Numerous incidents of hate crime, targeting Asian Americans business owners and elderly Asians, began following former president Donald Trump, who referred to the novel coronavirus pandemic as the "Chinese virus", and others' racist rhetoric and repeated rebuke of China and other Asian countries.
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