A New York City subway rider allegedly beat a fellow passenger on Sunday in what the New York Police Department (NYPD) is calling a possible hate crime, according to a graphic video.
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Unit tweeted out a video of the violent beatdown, and the department said the incident is under investigation for potential bias.
The New York Post reported that the NYPD is still waiting for the victim to come forward before determining if there was bias in the incident.
It is unclear what prompted the violent incident, but a woman can be overheard in the video being asked what sparked the attack. She replied, “He called him a n****r.”
The video showed the man, dressed in all black, punching his victim before putting him into a chokehold, leaving the victim unconscious.
Meanwhile, fellow passengers urged the alleged assailant to stop, according to the video.
“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!” a woman could be heard shouting at the suspect, who appeared to ignore her as he continued to punch his victim.
The assailant then took a second to glare at the other riders before fleeing the scene.
Police say the incident occurred on a J train at Brooklyn’s Kosciuszko Street station.
This latest incident is part of a crime wave that has plagued New York City’s subway system. In February, a man accused of fatally stabbing two people on an A train was apprehended while covered in blood.