According to ABC7NY, a man was arrested this week after sucker-punching an elderly Asian woman in the face in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
"Hoa Nguyen has lived in this country for 40 years. She is not unfamiliar with hate, but this was the first time that hate became violent," reported CeFaan Kim. "In an exclusive interview, the 67-year-old grandmother says she was a block away from home during her weekly routine to go to the grocery store for a senior discount. But she never made it to the store. She was punched several times in the head. Nguyen says just before the attack, her assailant was yelling and swearing."
According to the report, Nguyen quickly summoned police to the scene.
"Cops arrested 51-year-old Mercel Jackson, who they say is homeless," said the report. "According to the criminal complaint, he allegedly confessed to investigators: 'The defendant stated (he) punched Hoa Nguyen (because he) doesn't like how Chinese people look; thinks Chinese people look like measles; and doesn't like Chinese people looking at (him).' The district attorney hit him with felony hate crime and felony assault charges."
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Hate crimes against Asian-Americans have made national news over the last year, driven in part by people mistakenly believing they are responsible for bringing COVID-19 to the United States. Many of these incidents occurred in New York City. In one of the most high-profile incidents last March, a 65-year-old Asian woman was assaulted and stomped on in Midtown Manhattan, just outside the lobby of a building which captured the whole incident on security tapes.
Last May, President Biden signed a new hate crimes bill intended to address the surge in violence against Asian-Americans.
Watch the original report here:
Exclusive: Asian grandmother sucker-punched while walking in Brooklynwww.youtube.com
