Victims Report Trauma After Incident
Recent Surge in Hate Crimes Targeting Asians in the US
The New York Police Department (NYPD) has identified Anthony Evans (30) as the suspect in the so-called "box cutter terror" targeting Asian women near Times Square in New York. Photo by Twitter Capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] A stabbing attack targeting Asians occurred in the heart of New York, USA. Police are focusing on the possibility that it was a hate crime against Asians.
On the 2nd (local time), foreign media including ABC7 reported that around 10 a.m. on the 31st of last month, a Black man wielded a box cutter at a passing Asian woman in her 50s near Times Square in New York.
Immediately after the incident, the victim was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. ABC7 reported, "The victim's wounds are so deep and severe that they cannot be disclosed."
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage near the scene, released by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Twitter the previous day, captured the perpetrator approaching the victim from behind on a crowded street and swinging the knife. Right after the attack, the perpetrator calmly walked away from the scene.
The victim has expressed suffering from trauma since the incident. She recalled, "It felt like someone hit my arm from behind," adding, "There was heavy bleeding, and I was very scared." She also told ABC7, "I often use the Times Square subway station, but I was so shocked that I couldn't go to work the next day," and "I'm so scared that I don't want to leave my house." It is known that the victim and the suspect had no prior acquaintance.
The NYPD identified Anthony Evans (30) as the suspect and released his photo on Twitter. The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is currently investigating with the possibility of a hate crime against Asians in mind.
Meanwhile, hate crimes targeting Asians have been occurring repeatedly in the United States. On the 15th of last month, a man was indicted by prosecutors for spraying an unidentified liquid and making racist remarks toward two Korean-American women at a busy subway station in Manhattan, New York. Additionally, in June, a woman in her 40s was arrested by police on charges including hate crimes after spraying tear gas and assaulting four Asian women in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan, New York.
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