US man charged with attempted murder for attack on Chinese immigrant
NEW YORK: A New York City man was arrested and charged on Tuesday with attempted murder in what the police have classified as a hate crime against a Chinese immigrant.
The victim, identified by the police as Mr Yao Pan Ma, 61, was attacked in the East Harlem neighbourhood of Manhattan last Friday.
The assault is the latest in a spate of attacks targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the nation.
The police said they have not ruled out charging the suspect with a hate crime.
Many Americans blame Asians for the coronavirus, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, in late 2019.
In the New York incident, a surveillance video released by the police last week shows Mr Ma being attacked from behind, knocked down and kicked in the head multiple times by a lone man.
The police have charged Jarrod Powell, 49, with two counts of felony assault and one count of attempted murder. The police classified the attack as a hate crime but offered few other details.
It was unclear on Tuesday if Powell had a lawyer. No information on bond was available, but the police said he remained in custody on Tuesday evening.
Media outlets, including The Washington Post and People magazine, reported that Ma was in critical condition in a medically induced coma at Harlem Hospital.
People magazine reported that Ma was a pastry chef who came to the US two years ago with his wife. He lost his job because of Covid-19 and was collecting cans for a living when he was attacked. - REUTERS
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