Police in Washington, D.C. are investigating an incident captured on surveillance footage of a man attacking an Asian clerk on Tuesday.
According to The Hill, shop owner Chuong Hu Lu said a customer got upset about his store’s policy of not removing the jewelry from the case. He proceeded to punch Hu Lu in the face and yell anti-Asian obscenities at him.
“I’m really scared,” Hu Lu said to MSN. “We didn’t do nothing wrong. He just asked me one question. I just said, ‘No.’ Then, he punch me and say, ‘F*** you, Chinese people. I hate Chinese. Why you do me like this?’ I didn’t even do nothing wrong.”
The surveillance video was published by Fox 5, reports MSN. Although the video does not have audio from the attack, the still shots show that the suspect and the woman he was with walked out of the store following the incident. Meanwhile, the attack resulted in Hu Lu receiving 14 stitches, according to The Hill. Law enforcement further noted that Hu Lu sustained a lacerated lip from the attack, reports MSN.
Neighboring store owner Han Zhunz felt dismayed over the assault, according to MSN.
“We are American people too,” he said, reports MSN. “He’s an American citizen. I’m an American citizen. I work for this country. We pay the tax. We’re working hard. We’re the same people. Asian hate crimes need to stop.”
The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating this incident as a hate crime, reports MSN. This incident is among a series of violent attacks targeted at Asians in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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