(Trends Wide) — The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating an incident in which an unidentified individual was caught on video yelling anti-gay slurs and attacking a 22-year-old man on the subway. the New York police reported this week.
The victim was riding the A train near 190th Street in Manhattan on the afternoon of Saturday, March 19, when an individual approached and began threatening and spitting on him, police said.
Police released a video asking the public to help find the whereabouts of the individual they are looking for in connection with the assault.
The unidentified individual allegedly sat across from the victim and said, “I wish I had my pepper spray,” according to the police report. The individual then spat at the victim and repeated similar statements, eventually charging at the victim and grabbing her by her hair, hitting her multiple times in the face and head, according to police.
While beating and pulling hair from the victim’s head, police say the assailant said, “I’m sick of all of you s*******.”
The victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition with lacerations to the head.
The task force’s investigation is open and ongoing, according to the statement.
The incident comes as crime on the subway has skyrocketed over the past year, raising safety concerns among many New Yorkers, including Mayor Eric Adams himself. Crime reports in the transit system are up 70% so far this year compared to the same period in 2021, NYPD crime data shows.
Mayor Adams, a former NYPD captain, has declared subway safety a key priority and in February announced a plan to use police officers and social workers to fight crime and serve the homeless in the system. of subway.