By Louis Chan, AsAmNews National Correspondent
Police in New York are investigating a viral video showing an Asian man at the Fulton Street Station in Lower Manhattan being held and beaten.
A spokeswoman with the New York Police Department told AsAmNews during a phone interview that because the victim has not come forward, details of the crime are unclear.
One version of the story says the man groped a girl. Another says he’s a victim of an anti-Asian attack.
The Asian Hate Crime Task Force retweeted the video and asked anyone who knows the man to encourage him to come forward.
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The video shows a man holding the Asian man while two others hit him while others heard in the background cheer. One man slaps the victim as he slumps forward. Another punches him.
GrindFace TV posted a longer version of the video.
According to MEAWW, one person can be heard on the video saying “You touching girls, you touching girls — little sisters and all that, moms and everything. You filthy, son. I got a daughter. If the cops lock me up, I’m paying my own bail.”
However, Rep. Lee Zeldin (D-NY) issued a statement supporting the belief that this is a hate crime.
“New York’s Asian American community is under attack. Raw, violent hate, using hands, knives, hammers and more are causing serious bodily harm against innocent civilians, and even death,” he said. “We need to back the blue, fire Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, repeal cashless bail and much more to regain control of our streets and subways.”
A spokesperson for the NYPD had little to say about the incident.
“We are aware of the video and are looking into it,” she said in an emailed statement.
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