Shirtless, bigoted brute sought for violent robbery at Brooklyn family shelter

Police in Brooklyn are looking for the shirtless, bigoted brute who violently robbed a woman at a family shelter earlier this month.

The NYPD released on Friday images of the culprit behind the caper, which occurred at about 9 p.m. on Dec. 20 inside of 1675 Broadway, which is the Bushwick Family Residence, a transitional housing facility serving 87 families in need.

According to law enforcement sources, the perpetrator confronted a 53-year-old woman and uttered a number of anti-ethnic remarks at her. He then repeatedly punched her in the face, then moved to remove property from her pocket.

Seconds later, cops said, the suspect fled on foot in an unknown direction. Police sources did not know whether any property had been taken from the victim.

The incident was reported to the 83rd Precinct. Police said the victim refused medical attention at the scene.

The case was referred to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force for further investigation. Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, the city has experienced a massive uptick in antisemitic and other hate crimes targeting people of various creeds, color, ethnicities and sexual orientation.

As for the suspect in the Dec. 20 attack, police described him as a man with a light complexion believed to be 30 years of age, who was last seen without a shirt. He did wear dark colored pants and light colored shoes while carrying a purple bandana in his hand.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

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