Police investigate possible hate crime targeting Asian American woman in Chelsea
NEW YORK -- Police are investigating a possible hate crime after an Asian woman was attacked in Manhattan.
CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis has more on disturbing video of the incident, and how the state is trying to help tackle anti-Asian hate.
Surveillance video shows a 68-year-old Asian woman crossing the street at the intersection of Ninth avenue and 19th Street in Chelsea. A man is seen running toward her and she tries to get away, but he follows, punches her, and she falls to the ground.
The man then walks off.
The victim was taken to the hospital, and now the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.
"It became part of our life. I hear this kind of news and I'm like, 'Oh, it happened again,'" said June Rhee, who works in Chelsea.
The incident happened on April 24. Rhee said the attacks feel frequent, leaving the Asian community on edge.
"Many of my friends feel very insecure these days, especially female friends who live in the city," Rhee said.
One woman who did not want to show her face on camera said, "I'm not surprised to hear it, but it's frightening. I actually know a person, an Asian American, who was attacked brutally and hospitalized and they found the person, fortunately, but these attacks are happening constantly."
According to the NYPD, overall hate crimes in the city are up. As of April 24, there were 160 reported citywide, including 37 that were anti-Asian-motivated hate.
During the same time frame last year, of 132 hate crimes, 59 were directed toward the Asian community.
"We are very upset about that because we don't see this entire Asian hate crime going down. We see a lot of politicians come out to say we want to support you, but we want to see actual action," said Jacky Wong of the Chinatown Civic Coalition.
In an effort to combat the crimes, the state is investing $20 million from its budget to dozens of AAPI organizations.
"They provide services, ranging from senior services to housing support to feeding programs to self-defense courses," state Sen. John Liu said.
Liu added it's a historic level of funding.
"The state government has never provided anything close to this. It's not actually enough, but it will go a long way towards putting a dent in many of the challenges that we face in the Asian-American community," Liu said.
The woman attacked in the April 24 incident suffered back pain and bruised ribs, but is expected to be OK.
Anyone with information about her attacker is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
