Video shows ‘shocking racist assault on Asian-American in New York subway by white woman Anna Lushchinskaya’
- The 40-year-old white woman has been charged with felony assault, police say
- She is seen screaming racial epithets at the unidentified victim before attacking her with an umbrella and key chain
Footage of a jarring, racially charged attack on an Asian passenger riding the subway in New York has gone viral.
The New York Police Department said Anna Lushchinskaya, 40, has been charged with two counts of felony assault after the incident, which occurred during the morning rush hour on Tuesday aboard the D train in Brooklyn.
A 24-year-old woman was left bleeding with cuts to her face, the police said.
Warning: video contains strong language
In the video shared by Juan Ayala on his Twitter account PlatanoMan, Lushchinskaya is seen screaming “f**k off” several times before apparently preparing for her attack by putting her sunglasses in her handbag and tying back her hair. She then lashes out with her umbrella and key chain.
After an Asian man intervenes, Lushchinskaya, who is white, screams “f**king chink”, which prompts surrounding passengers to shout the attacker down.
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The dispute began after the suspect bumped into the complainant, according to the police report. The man who intervened, 30, also sustained scratches, it said.
“I'm lucky that she didn't have anything like weapons on her – like knife, gun – because it could have got a lot worse,” the victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, said after the attack, according to New York’s Channel 7 Eyewitness News.
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“I'm lucky that people were on the train who were helping me, especially the first Asian guy who stood in front of me right away because he wasn't recording,” the report quoted the victim as saying.
“He just stood in front of me to help me, because I know other people were recording, but their recording didn't do anything until later on when it escalated.”
The video had attracted 4.5 million views on Facebook as of Friday. Some of the more than 1,700 comments included complaints that more people surrounding the attacker did not try to stop the assault.
