Two Asian women were attacked on the New York City streets on Sunday, prompting the police to investigate the alleged incident as a hate crime.
A video of the attack released by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Tuesday showed a woman approaching the victims in Midtown Manhattan in front of West 42nd Street at 8:40 p.m. before allegedly assaulting them using a hammer.
The woman had allegedly demanded the two victims remove their masks before the assault occurred.
Police said one of the victims, a 31-year-old woman, was hospitalized after she suffered a laceration to her head.
“I’ve been here, like, two years, and I’ve never faced this kind of thing,” she told NBC New York.
The other victim, 29, did not appear to suffer any injuries.
After the attack, the alleged attacker fled eastbound on 42nd Street, police said. The NYPD is investigating the incident as a hate crime, and no arrests have been made as of Tuesday morning.
Police are urging anyone with information leading to the suspect’s capture to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
The hammer attack took place a block away from where a man allegedly kicked a 65-year-old Asian woman and stomped on her head outside a luxury apartment building in March in front of witnesses.