What to Know
- A 13-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly kicking a man of Asian descent and making anti-Asian statements, the NYPD said.
- The boy was charged with hate-crime assault and hate-crime aggravated harassment, according to police
- Police are also searching for a man who allegedly "repeatedly" made anti-Asian remarks to a man and his son before pushing the man's head
A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged with hate-crime assault for an alleged anti-Asian attack — a day after a man allegedly pushed another man after making anti-Asian remarks, the NYPD said.
Police say a 59-year-old man of Asian descent was walking on Madison Avenue in East Harlem around 8 p.m. on Tuesday when the teenager approached him from behind, made anti-Asian statements and kicked him, knocking him to the ground.
The man refused medical attention at the scene, police said. The NYPD said a 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged with hate-crime assault and hate-crime aggravated harassment on Friday in connection with the attack.
On Thursday, meanwhile, a 47-year-old man was at the corner of 70th Avenue and Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills with his 10-year-old son around 6:50 a.m. when another man approached them, “repeatedly” made anti-Asian remarks and pushed the 47-year-old’s head with his hand, the NYPD said.
The man who pushed the 47-year-old father hadn’t been arrested as of Saturday, police said. The NYPD released a photo of the suspect.
The Asian community has seen an uptick in racist incidents since the outbreak of the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, but has since become a pandemic with Europe as the new epicenter.
News
Gov. Andrew Cuomo denounced another possible anti-Asian hate crime in a statement earlier this week.
"To be clear: there is zero evidence that people of Asian descent bear any additional responsibility for the transmission of the coronavirus," he said in a statement.
"This incident was not only despicable but also illegal, and I am directing the State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to assist in the investigation to make sure the assailant is held accountable."
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
