New York City police are looking for a suspect involved in an attack on an Asian man that happened in the middle of the day, ABC 7 New York reports.
On Monday afternoon, on the corner of 72nd Street and Lexington Avenue, the suspect is seen in video following the victim. According to the New York Post, the 48-year-old victim was punched in the back of the head before being followed. The victim stepped into the street to try to escape, but the suspect-at-large followed and reportedly body slammed him into a glass storefront.
Surveillance footage obtained by ABC 7 New York shows several good Samaritans stepped in to intervene and protect the victim from the suspect.
The suspect was then seen shouting in the middle of the street "I'm gonna kill somebody, get out of my face."
The city has seen a spike in anti-Asian violence this year, jumping to 54 verified cases this year compared to the 12 that happened in the entirety of 2020.
Police are looking at the attack closely to determine whether or not it constitutes as a hate crime, but according to one woman's account, it seems unclear. She said that the suspect went after her too, and was shouting about Chinese, Spanish, and white people before allegedly asking if she wanted him to kill her.