Woman attacked in possible racially motivated crime

Police say they are investigating the assault of an Asian woman near New York City’s Times Square as a suspected hate crime. Around 8:40 p.m. on Sunday, a black woman approached the 31-year-old victim and shouted, “Take off your mask!” before hitting her in the face with a hammer. The woman required medical treatment. She told WABC-TV of New York that she planned to move to Taiwan to stay with her parents for the time being. Police released surveillance footage of the incident and asked the public for information about the suspect.

Is this part of a trend? The New York Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force is looking into several other assaults against Asians. Over the weekend, police arrested a 20-year-old white man who allegedly shouted, “You don’t belong here,” at an Asian couple outside of Grand Central Station. The man is accused of calling them “dangerous” and of hitting the woman’s head with a bag of chips.

Dig deeper: Read Emily Belz’s report on recent violence against Asian Americans in the United States.