NYPD searching for man who kicked Asian man

NEW YORK (AP) – A 61-year-old Asian man was attacked by a man who kicked him multiple times in the head in East Harlem, New York City police said.

The man was gathering cans when he was attacked from behind, collapsed to the ground and kicked in the head minutes after 8 p.m. He was taken to Harlem Hospital in critical but stable condition, police added.

In a security video released by the police, the attacker is seen kicking the victim’s head. The police department’s specialized unit is investigating the case, the latest in a worrying surge in hate crimes against Asians in New York and across the country.

In a message on Twitter, Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident “outrageous.” “Make no mistake, we will find the attacker and they will be judged to the fullest extent of the law,” De Blasio tweeted on Saturday.

Police did not release the victim’s name, but several outlets identified him as Yao Pan Ma, a former restaurant employee who lost his job due to the coronavirus pandemic and collected cans to cope.

The victim’s wife, Baozhen Chen, 57, pleaded with police to find the person who attacked her husband during an interview with the New York Post newspaper.

“Please catch him as soon as possible to make him pay,” he said in command.

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