Asian woman bashed in head with hammer in New York after being told to take off mask
- The NYPD is investigating the attack as a possible hate crime, the latest in a string of bias-fuelled attacks against Asian victims in the city
- The victim, 31, was taken to hospital and is in stable condition with cuts to her head
An Asian woman walking in Midtown Manhattan was bashed in the head with a hammer by a stranger demanding the victim remove her mask, police said on Monday.
The NYPD is investigating the attack as a possible hate crime, the latest in a string of bias-fuelled attacks against Asian victims in New York.
The 31-year-old victim was walking on West 42nd Street she was accosted by a woman near Ninth Avenue at about 8.45pm on Sunday.
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“Take off your mask,” the assailant, who appeared to be in her 50s, bizarrely demanded, according to police.
The attacker bashed the victim in the head with a hammer before running east on West 42nd Street, police said.
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Medical workers took the victim to NYU Langone Health in stable condition with cuts to her head.
The attacker was wearing black jeans and a black tank top, police said.
New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated are now allowed to walk around outside with no mask on, following recently revised national guidelines from the Centres for Disease Control and Biden administration. New Yorkers are still encouraged to wear a mask if they are in a large group, even if outside.
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Just hours before the attack, city leaders spoke at a rally in Flushing, Queens, to decry the spate of hate crimes and call for harsher punishments.
“To anyone who commits a hate crime, let’s be blunt, let’s be clear: we will find you, we will prosecute you,” said Mayor de Blasio. “You will suffer the consequences.”
Senator Chuck Schumer, who also spoke at the rally, said the Biden administration had already taken a more aggressive approach to cracking down on hate crimes.
“To those who perpetuate Asian hate, we now have people in the Justice Department dedicated to finding you, exposing you and prosecuting you,” Schumer said.
