A suspect has been arrested after he allegedly threw a box and then shoved a 52-year-old Asian American woman in New York City on Tuesday.
In a security video, which ended up going viral, Patrick Mateo was seen approaching a woman, allegedly shoving her and causing her to fall down and hit her head and get 10 stitches in her head. The woman was in line at a store in Flushing.
"The woman's daughter, Maggie Kayla Cheng, in a post on Facebook, said her mom was pushed “with such force that she hit her head on the concrete and passed out on the floor," according to a NBC New York story.
President Joe Biden condemned the increasing rise of anti-Asian American sentiment sweeping the U.S. - even taking presidential action when he took office last month.
"During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, inflammatory and xenophobic rhetoric has put Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) persons, families, communities, and businesses at risk," the White House memo said.
Hate crimes against Asian Americans have increased in the pandemic. According to Time Magazine, "The NYPD reported that hate crimes motivated by anti-Asian sentiment jumped 1,900% in New York City in 2020."
Anti-Asian American sentiment has also taken root in San Francisco and Oakland after older residents were being assaulted in Oakland recently.
According to officials, he's facing charges of assault and harassment. Police said this wasn't being investigated as a hate crime.
Maggie also posted the suspect's photo on her own Facebook page and so did actress Oliva Munn who is a friend.
According to the NBC New York story, the son of the woman said the man, who was not wearing a mask, "berated his mom to move away. Slight irony isn't it — he started freaking out," the son said. That’s when he says his frightened mother pulled her pepper spray on the man, then the physical attack followed."