The New York Police Department (NYPD) is investigating after an Asian man was attacked on the street by a man who allegedly bit his fingers and yelled racist remarks.
Surveillance video released by the department Wednesday shows a shirtless man with a shaved head walking down the street, and it asks city residents to call a police hotline if they have any tips about the man’s identity. The attack itself is not shown in the released video.
During the Tuesday attack in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, the suspect reportedly punched the 48-year-old unnamed victim, yelled “go back to your country” and bit the man’s fingers, leading to the tip of one being severed.
“In what has now become an alarming, disgusting pattern, we have learned that yet another Asian American was attacked violently in Manhattan. This needs to end. I want the Asian American community to remember that we stand with them against hate. As New Yorkers we are forever proud of our diversity and we reject any cowardly attempts to divide us,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in a statement Tuesday.
“Justice needs to be done and I am directing the New York State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to offer their assistance in the investigation of this attack,” he continued.
The attack mirrors other anti-Asian hate incidents that have been on the rise around the country during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lawmakers on Tuesday sent a bill addressing anti-Asian hate crimes to President Biden’s desk; if signed into law, it would provide grants for states to create hotlines for reporting hate crimes and create a position at the Justice Department to review COVID-19-related hate incidents.