The NYPD is investigating two separate hate crimes in Brooklyn that left two Asian American New Yorkers injured.
According to police, the first incident took place at 7:45 a.m. on March 22. At this time, a 32-year-old Asian woman was in front of Ruby and Jenna, located at 1308 Kings Highway, when she was approached by an unknown man who grabbed her and pulled her hair.
The suspect let go of the victim and walked away down Kings Highway. No words were exchanged between the victim and suspect prior and nothing was stolen. The victim suffered pain to her head and neck but refused medical attention at the scene.
The NYPD released a photo and video of the suspect taken from the scene. The suspect is described as a man with a light complexion and a medium build, brown eyes and black hair, with a beard and mustache. He was last seen wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, blue pants and black sneakers.
The second incident took place at 11:15 a.m. on April 5. At this time a 77-year-old Asian man was looking at vegetables for sale in front of J&R NY Supermarket, located at 1406 Avenue U, when he was approached by an unknown man.
The man proceeded to intentionally push the victim to the ground and kept walking, with no words exchanged between the two. The suspect was last seen walking eastbound on Avenue U. The victim suffered bruising to his left arm but refused medical attention at the scene.
The NYPD released photos and video of the suspect taken prior to the incident. He is described as an adult man with a light complexion and a medium build, standing 6 feet tall, weighing 200 pounds, bald with a goatee. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants and black sneakers.
Both incidents are being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force.
March 2021 saw a huge spike in hate crimes, particularly against the Asian community. According to the NYPD, the city saw 31 targeted attacks against Asian Americans last month, compared to zero incidents taking place in March 2020.
Anyone with information in regard to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.
