The New York Police Department (NYPD) is on the lookout for an anti-Asian assailant, who threw strong blows at an elderly woman and blurted racial slurs while attacking her on West 54th Street in midtown Manhattan on Sunday.
According to NBC New York, the 63-year-old victim was shoved to the ground on a midtown sidewalk at around 6.30pm before the attacker headed south on Broadway on his bicycle. It is believed that the man also threw food at her husband before fleeing the scene.
Warning: Graphic video
WANTED for AN Assault in front of 230 West 54th Street . #Manhattan @NYPD18pct on 8/15/21 @ 6:35 PM The male punched the victim in the face and shoved her to the ground while making anti-Asian statements. Reward up to $3500 Call 1-800-577-TIPS or DM us! Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! pic.twitter.com/CSWg7TnlsQ
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) August 17, 2021
The police believe the abuser is a homeless man, going by the footage captured on CCTV. No arrests were made till Tuesday morning, as he is still on the loose.
Officers are yet to ascertain why the attack was carried out in the first place. Pix11 News reported that the suspect was scouring a trash can just minutes before the elderly couple approached the bin. The victim—whose identity remains undisclosed—reportedly suffered a back injury but refused to seek medical help.
The police have urged the public to get in touch with the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or at the Crime Stoppers website if they were to stumble upon any relevant information.
WANTED for A Forcible Touching c/o of South 4 Street and Havemeyer Street.#Brooklyn @NYPD90pct on 8/15/21@2:15AM an unidentified male approached the 26-year-old female victim from behind and forcibly grabbed her buttocks while she was walking.Reward up to $3500Call 1-800-577-TIPS pic.twitter.com/OCaGzEHda1
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) August 17, 2021
In another disturbing attack on the same day, the NYPD released a shocking video of a woman being punched mercilessly by a man on a Brooklyn street, shortly after grabbing her buttocks. The gruesome incident happened around 2:15am when the unsuspecting woman was strolling down the streets of Williamsburg.
The victim appears to be a 26-year-old, who is then seen retaliating by pushing the man away and slapping him. However, the attacker is seen using all his power to restrain the woman, which included punching her in the face repeatedly before escaping the scene of the crime.
In the Department's notice, the attacker was described as a 35-year-old hefty man weighing around 150 pounds. He reportedly wore a dark-colored baseball hat, a du-rag, a white T-shirt with dark-colored sleeves, and the number “88” on the back, along with denim shorts and white sneakers, the outlet reported.
Despite the attack, the victim allegedly delayed reporting the incident to the police. The case falls under the purview of the NYPD’s Brooklyn Special Victims Unit, which will be probing into the sexual assault. The NYPD has reported an uptick in crimes of this nature.
