Detectives arrested an East Side man on Tuesday who attacked a 52-year-old woman on a rain-soaked street Sunday afternoon in yet another bias crime targeting Asian New Yorkers.
Vincent Diehl, 47, of 1st Avenue faces charges of assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment for allegedly carrying out the bigoted beating, which occurred at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 22 along 1st Avenue near East 19th Street.
Cops said Diehl allegedly confronted the victim as she walked through the rain. He allegedly punched the woman in the head, then made anti-Asian statements toward her.
Following the attack, Diehl allegedly took off on foot southbound along 1st Avenue.
The incident was reported to the 13th Precinct. EMS treated the victim at the scene for head pain.
Police later presented the case to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, which has conducted investigations into numerous anti-Asian bias attacks that have occurred over the past 18 months. Last week, elected officials and representatives of the Asian community rallied in Lower Manhattan calling for further action from the city and the NYPD to stop the hateful violence.
