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New York man charged with attempted murder after brutal attack on Chinese immigrant Yao Pan Ma

  • Jarrod Powell charged with two counts of felony assault, one count of attempted murder
  • Yao Pan Ma remains in a coma after he was kicked repeatedly in the head in East Harlem

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Jarrod Powell (pictured) was arrested on April 27, 2021 on suspicion of attacking an Asian man in East Harlem, New York City. The victim, Yao Pan Ma, was taken to Harlem Hospital in critical but stable condition and later placed into a medically-induced coma. Photo: Crime Stoppers/NYPD handout
Agencies

A New York City man was arrested and charged on Tuesday with attempted murder in what could be a hate crime against a Chinese immigrant.

Jarrod Powell was charged with two counts of felony assault and one count of attempted murder for Friday’s attack on 61-year-old Yao Pan Ma in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, police said.

Police said that they have not ruled out charging the suspect with a hate crime. It was not clear if Powell, 49, had a lawyer who could comment on the charges.

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Ma, a former restaurant worker who lost his job because of the pandemic, was collecting cans when he was attacked from behind, knocked to the ground and kicked in the head multiple times, according to surveillance video released by the police.

He was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he remained in a coma on Tuesday, officials said.

Baozhen Chen, the wife of 61-year old Yao Pan Ma who was attacked in New York. Photo: AFP
Baozhen Chen, the wife of 61-year old Yao Pan Ma who was attacked in New York. Photo: AFP
The police department’s hate crimes task force was investigating the attack, which appeared to be among the latest in a troubling rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in New York and around the country.

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