Police in New York City are searching for a man who allegedly violently attacked seven different Asian women Feb. 27.
The reported attacks took place between roughly 6:30 and 8:37 p.m. in the Midtown East, Union Square and Lower East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan, according to FOX 5. The seven victims range in age from 19 to 57, the outlet reported.
The suspect, described as a blond-haired, light-skinned male, is accused of approaching the victims and punching or elbowing them in the face. One victim, a 20-year-old woman, was pushed to the ground, according to the report.
🚨WANTED-ASSAULTS (Hate Crime): 2/27/22 from 6:30PM to 8:37PM, Seven incidents in various Manhattan South Precincts. In all 7 cases the suspect punched Asian female victims. Any info call us at 800-577-TIPS or anonymously post a tip to https://t.co/TRPPY5zHV2 Reward UP to $3,500 pic.twitter.com/NJu3zTtYDe
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) March 2, 2022
Three of the victims required medical treatment, with the 57-year-old woman and a 21-year-old who was punched in the face being transported to Mount Sinai and Bellevue hospitals respectively, according to FOX 5. They were treated for facial swelling and cuts to the mouth and lip. Another woman, aged 25, was treated for swelling and bleeding to the lower lip at the scene of the attack.
The suspect is still at large, and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has made an open request for leads through its Crime Stoppers tip-line.
The NYPD reported a 361% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2021, according to NBC News. (RELATED: ‘F*** You, You Don’t Belong Here’: 65-Year-Old Asian Woman Brutally Attacked While On Her Way To Church In New York)
Rising violent crime rates in New York City have been blamed by some on left-wing criminal justice policies, including a bail reform initiative and a declaration by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that he would not prosecute certain low-level offenses and misdemeanors unless they were accompanied by a more severe charge. Bragg reversed two policies in early February after coming under fire for a memo stating that armed robberies would be prosecuted for petty larceny if no victim was seriously harmed.