73-year-old Asian victim speaks about the attack in Midtown

A 73-year-old Asian man spoke about his traumatic experiences after experiencing a violent attack over the weekend in Midtown.

The man, who wishes to stay anonymous, told ABC 7 that he was coming to the city from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, to complete his weekend tradition, which is to buy a lottery ticket and attend Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. 

However, he ended up face down and bleeding on 8th Avenue. He said he was attacked by a man who called him names and tried to steal his wallet, ABC 7 reported.  

The police said the attacker knocked the man to the ground near 40th Street and 8th Avenue on Sunday morning, according to MSN.

“He kept kicking me and asking for wallet,” the victim said to ABC 7. “He was saying something, probably a threatening slang word, which I didn’t understand at all. So he shoved me so hard and I went down.”

The man has a cut to his face and bruises, and one eye is swollen shut. 

The police arrested Dominic Staton, 44, a homeless man who has nine prior arrests. Staton also was charged for an attempted robbery of a 25-year-old man at Seventh Avenue and West 42nd Street, according to ABC 7. This took place just minutes after the initial assault. 

Staton was not charged with a hate crime because no anti-Asian comments were made during the violent interaction. However, the 73-year-old victim claims that this attack was a hate crime.

“You got to do something about all this hate and attacks on Asian people,” he said to ABC 7.

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