Several hotels in this area, emptied of tourists since the start of the pandemic, have been transformed into accommodation centers. Many residents complain about an increase in crime.
The suspect has a heavy criminal past: he was jailed from 2002 to 2019 for stabbing his mother to death, in front of his five-year-old sister, according to the police spokesperson.
The assault on the Asian woman, who was on her way to church, took place at midday on Monday.
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On the images, captured by surveillance cameras from inside a building, we see her walking when, all of a sudden, the man approaches her, knocks her down on the first blow. kicks him, then kicks him more in the head before walking away. Police said on Tuesday that he had uttered anti-Asian slurs at her.
Police posted video and photos of the assailant on Twitter, and called on people to help identify him.
These tweets have gone “viral,” said Jessica Corey, head of hate crimes with the New York Police (NYPD). Residents recognized a homeless man in the neighborhood and led the police to the hotel, where the suspect was apprehended on Tuesday evening. He now faces up to 25 years in prison, according to Manhattan prosecutor Cyrus Vance.
His judicial record could revive the debate on the sensitive subject of the care of the homeless in American metropolises, a population where mental problems are widespread and whose access to social services has been reduced by the pandemic.
“I don’t understand why we are pushing people out of jail into homeless centers, or (how) we can expect favorable consequences,” said Dermot Shea, head of the new police. York, noting that investigators are now trying to determine if the suspect is involved in other crimes.
Another NYPD official, Rodney Harrison, however warned against generalization: the perpetrators of these crimes belong to “all demographic categories, young, old, white, black,” he said.
The victim, whose identity has not been disclosed, was hospitalized. She suffers from a broken pelvis and multiple injuries. Some media reported on Wednesday that she was discharged from the hospital, but the information was not confirmed.
The violence of the assault, added to the passivity of two men watching the scene from inside a building – one of them closing the front door rather than helping the injured woman – had aroused many scandalized reactions on Tuesday.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the attack “horrible” and “disgusting”. State Governor Andrew Cuomo lamented that violence against the Asian community is becoming “an epidemic in our state and our country.”
In a tweet, President Biden announced “additional measures” against anti-Asian violence.
New York, like other American metropolises, has seen an upsurge in crime targeting people of Asian descent in recent months. Many blame ex-President Donald Trump, who frequently called Covid-19 a “Chinese virus” or “Chinese plague”.
On March 15, a man shot dead eight people, including six women of Asian origin, in the Atlanta area.
New York police have since stepped up their presence in neighborhoods with high Asian populations. Patrols of volunteers were also formed to reassure the population.
The first American metropolis has more than a million inhabitants with Asian origins. For the week of March 15 to 21 alone, New York City police recorded nine “hate motivated” crimes, up from three over the same period of 2020, according to official statistics.
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