An Asian woman was punched in the face and knocked downed onto the sidewalk in broad daylight for no apparent reason as she walked past a restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
The assault was caught on video and shared on June 1 on Twitter by New York state lawmaker, Niou Yuh-Line, the state assembly member who represents the district that includes Chinatown.
Niou wrote on Twitter that the video was sent to her by a constituent.
Passers-by and diners present
The victim was struck in public even as other diners and passers-by were in the vicinity.
She could be seen walking on the street one moment, and was punched in the face by a man who was walking in the opposite direction the very next moment.
Several bystanders can be seen helping the woman after the attack.
The victim remained seated and stunned on the ground against a pole.
The man who hit her did not flee but stayed on and reacted calmly.
Victim conscious after attack
Niou said the victim was “conscious and cognisant and alert”.
She was hospitalised at New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital in stable condition, according to police.
Arrest made
One man has already been arrested.
Alexander Wright, 48, was arrested nearby and was charged with assault as a hate crime, assault and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Police took him to a hospital for evaluation.
Hate crime in U.S.
A wave of hate incidents have been reported by Asian people around United States, particularly in New York and California, which have significant Asian American populations.
Hate crimes targeting Asians and other minorities rose by 150 per cent in major cities in 2020, according to one study published in March.
Top photo via