NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The NYPD is investigating an attack against an Asian woman near Times Square as a possible hate crime.
Police said the 31-year-old victim was walking with her friend on West 42nd Street near Ninth Avenue around 8:40 p.m. on Sunday night when a woman walked up to them and demanded they remove their masks.
The suspect snapped and struck the victim in the head with a hammer before taking off.
The victim suffered a deep laceration to her head and was taken to NYU Langone Hospital, where she needed seven stitches.
The victim and suspect did not know each other.
The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is also directing the state's Hate Crimes Task Force to assist in the investigation.
"I am disgusted by this violent attack in Midtown Manhattan, the latest seemingly senseless and despicable hate crime against Asian Americans in this state. We will do everything in our power to protect those who are vulnerable to these attacks and to hold cowardly perpetrators accountable to the full extent of the law," Cuomo said.
The city has recorded 180 hate crimes since Jan. 1, a increase of about 73% from the same period last year.
Asians were targeted in at least 80 of those incidents, up from 16 in 2020.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.