An Asian woman was brutally attacked in Midtown Manhattan in New York City on Monday while the staff in a nearby building watched and did nothing to help, according to a video.
The video showed the suspect allegedly kicking the 65-year-old woman in front of an apartment building at 360 West 43rd Street at 11:40 a.m. Monday and then stomping on her head.
The video also showed several men from the apartment building standing near the door just feet away from where the attack took place, failing to intervene.
The Brodsky Organization, the building managers, posted a statement on Instagram saying that it “condemns all forms of discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and violence against the Asian-American community.”
“The staff who witnessed the attack have been suspended pending an investigation in conjunction with their union,” the statement said. “The Brodsky Organization is also working to identify a third-party delivery vendor present during the incident so that appropriate action can be taken.”
The suspect is still on the lam as of Tuesday morning, according to the police.
There has been a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes against the elderly during the coronavirus pandemic — which is believed to have started in Wuhan, China.
More than 2,808 reports of anti-Asian hate from 47 states and Washington, DC, took place between March 19 and December 31, 2020, with 7.3 percent of those incidents involving Asians over 60, according to a report from Stop AAPI Hate.
One San Francisco group decided to tackle the problem by providing whistles to the elderly in the Asian-American community so they could deter potential attackers. Others are helping to escort elderly Asians to keep them safe.