Police are looking for two suspects who allegedly attacked a subway passenger in Brooklyn on November 13 following a dispute about masks.
The incident occurred around 12 p.m. inside the Atlantic Avenue Barclays Center station when the two individuals approached a 60-year-old woman as she waited for the elevator, according to ABC 7.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) said the victim told the suspects to wear masks if they were going to ride the elevator:
Surveillance footage showed the man wearing a backpack push past the woman and get on the elevator. However, when the female suspect hit the woman, the victim reached out and knocked her hat off.
Moments later, the male suspect appeared to strike the woman, causing her to fall on the ground where he punched her repeatedly as she tried to get up.
“Both suspects, believed to be in their late teens, fled and were still being sought by police as of late Wednesday,” the New York Post reported.
The victim suffered bruising on her face and pain in her legs. She received treatment at a nearby hospital and was released.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
More than 300,000 people have reportedly fled New York City in the past eight months because of the rise in crime and the coronavirus pandemic.
“Experts say the escape from New York City is not just due to the coronavirus; it also has to do with rising crime rates, economic woes, and school chaos,” according to Breitbart News.
“I think people are afraid,” said Michael Hendrix, who is the director of state and local policy at New York’s Manhattan Institute.
“They’re afraid of catching a deadly virus, and they’re afraid of crime and other quality of life concerns. One thing we also hear is about trash and cleanliness of the city,” he concluded.