Man randomly whacks woman with hockey stick in New York’s East Village

The suspect was not captured immediately after the crime and police asked the public for help in identifying him, the New York Post reported.

The 26-year-old female victim told authorities she was walking down East 6th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A in the East Village when an unidentified man approached her and hit her in the leg with a hockey stick. She was treated by paramedics at the scene, according to NYPD.

The incident occurred around 10:30 pm and the suspect fled the scene, police said.

NYPD released a photo of the suspect. He is described as a black male who was last seen wearing a black jacket, light-colored hoodie, light-colored cargo pants, and black, white, and gray sneakers. He was seen holding a blue hockey stick, according to the photo.

The attack follows other reports of women being randomly punched in the face by other male strangers recently while out and about in New York City.

Women have usually been the targets in the attacks, which have mostly occurred in Manhattan, per the Post. Some of them suffered significant injuries from the unprovoked assaults, while others were left with minor bumps and bruises.

Some of the suspects in the attacks have been repeat offenders.

Call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) if you know the identity of the suspect in the hockey stick attack.