Photo: NYPD Hate Crimes

hammer attack hate crime

Two Asian women were attacked in New York City Sunday evening when a person hit one of them in the head with a hammer after telling them to remove their face masks.

“She was talking to herself, like talking to a wall, I thought maybe she was drunk or something, so we just wanted to pass through her quickly and when I passed through her, she saw us and said ‘Take off your f—— mask,’ which is shocking,” Theresa told ABC 7.

The video footage shows Theresa and her friend trying to fend off the suspect, but she was struck “in the head with a hammer causing a laceration,” police said.

Theresa went to the hospital after the attack, where she received seven stitches, according to ABC 7.

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Theresa had recently returned to New York after staying with her parents in Taiwan during theCOVID-19 pandemicand told ABC 7 she now plans on returning.

“My mom actually told me please be careful, there’s a lot of Asian crime happening in America,” Theresa told ABC 7.

The attack in Hell’s Kitchen came just hours after NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, saying at a Stop Asian Hate rally in Queens: “If you hate, get the hell out of here because you don’t deserve to live in New York City.”

If you’ve been attacked or have witnessed an attack, please contact your local authorities. You can also report your incidenthere. To learn more and to report crimes, go to:Asian Americans Advancing Justice,Stop the AAPI Hate,National Council of Asian Pacific Americans,Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA, andAsian Pacific Policy & Planning Council.

source: people.com