NYPD investigating possible hate crime on F train in Greenwich Village
NEW YORK -- The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is now investigating an attack on Asian woman riding a train in Greenwich Village.
On Sunday night, CBS New York heard from that woman and another passenger, who said she also was assaulted.
Laughing and pointing, that's how it started. Sue Young, who was visiting from Nevada, was hoping the group of young girls sitting across from her on an F train near West 14th Street on Thursday night weren't making fun of her family, so she shared a laugh with them, which only made it worse.
"It was just insult, after insult, after insult. And, finally, my husband felt like he needed to step in and so he was like, 'Can you use some better words besides those?'" Young said.
She said the girls eventually realized they were being recorded by another passenger, Joanna Lin, and started attacking her.
She said one young woman threw the punches, and now police are looking for her.
"Same girl saw me with the phone. She ran over, grabbed me by the hair, threw me on the ground and started punching me several times. And I was like, 'You know what? Let me protect myself.' Boxing stance. It doesn't matter what gender or race, it should never happen," Lin said.
Young said she couldn't stand to see Lin getting attacked, so she got up nd pushed one of the girls out of the way. Then, that same teen attacked her.
"My glasses got broken. I've had headache for a couple of days now because my hair was pulled and so my scalp was very tender. I got like a whiplashy neck," Young said.
Young said she can heal from all of it, and while she wants there to be accountability, she'd like to meet and talk with the girls -- and especially wants her 11-year-old twin daughters to learn from the incident.
"I want everyone to see that we can bridge this, that maybe there's good in those girls. And I want something positive to come out, instead of just throwing them in jail," Young said.
Bystanders were able to help get the family and Lin out of the train safely.
Jo-Ann Yoo is president of the Asian American Federation, which started its Hope Against Hate initiative, promoting situational awareness against hate in communities across the city.
"I think it's so great to see so many young people, non-Asians, stepping up as they understand the shared commitment we have in making sure that everybody is safe," Yoo said.
Police say they are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
Anyone with any information 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.
