A homeless man brutally punched a woman minding her own business, knocking her unconscious to the ground. The suspect had been arrested 17 different times before the assault.
An Attack in Broad Daylight
A 55-year-old woman can be seen walking past Kong Sihk Tong, a beloved restaurant in Chinatown, New York. Alexander Wright, 48, creeps up on her in an orange hoodie and hits her in the face with a closed fist in broad daylight.
She stumbled back, eventually losing consciousness and ending up on the concrete floor. Witnesses surrounded her with concern and provided police with a description of the 48-year-old.
Officers arrested Wright a block away from Bayard Street, where the unprovoked attack took place. Four police officers surrounded him as he claimed that the unsuspecting woman hit him. A spectator shouted, “Nobody hit you! You hit the lady!”
Wright’s History of Violence
Officers handcuffed the New York City native and and took him to Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Police sources stated that Wright was a resident of Wards Island Homeless Shelter and described him as an “emotionally disturbed person.” Wright had 17 arrests stacked up on his rapport and eight convictions in a single year. He punched another elderly person, 72, at a bus stop in The Bronx and committed arson.
“New York City has failed this woman. New York City has failed all of us. Alexander Wright should not have been on our streets.”
Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang
The Aftermath
Authorities charged Wright with one count of assault as a hate crime and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Police found a synthetic marijuana called “K2” on the suspect. A judge set his bail at $15,000. The 55-year-old woman recovered from stable conditions in the New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital.
The Asian community spoke out after authorities declared the attack as a hate crime. Asian residents organized anti-hate rallies and shared their fears of the next attack. Activist Karlin Chan says that the city is not adequately combating the amount of crime committed against Asian people. The New York Police Department has since created an “Asian Hate Crime Task Force” to address the increasing violence.
