Law enforcement officials are searching for a person in connection to a suspected anti-Asian hate crime after an unidentified man yelled anti-Asian slurs at a group before resorting to violence. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, after spewing slurs, the suspect pulled a knife on the group, threatened to stab at least one person, and smashed the window of their vehicle with a brick.
The incident occurred on Thursday, Aug. 18 in Northwest Washington, D.C. According to a police report, the suspect approached a group of three and asked to speak with them. When he was ignored, he “became upset and started to yell.” In addition to shouting "go back to your country,” he used slurs including: "that's why no one likes chinks," NBC4 Washington reported. He even threatened one of the victims, claiming he was going to "stab her in the mouth."
After the three people got into their car to avoid the suspect about two blocks from the White House, the suspect followed them and threw a brick through the driver’s side window, police said. He then fled the area on foot; two of the three people were injured. They were treated on the scene for non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident is being investigated as a hate crime. Metropolitan police released images of the suspect captured by a nearby surveillance camera.
The attack follows several others across the country. Since the start of the pandemic, anti-Asian hate crimes have rapidly increased, with data published by various experts supporting this claim. A compilation of hate crime data from across the country found by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism earlier this year found that anti-Asian crimes rose by 339% in 2021 compared with 2020.
According to Axios, of the areas that reported the highest number of hate crimes, D.C. had the highest number of hate crimes reported by police per 1,000,000 people in 2021. The rise in hate crimes follows a survey noting the number of Americans who continue to blame Asian Americans for the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call Metro Police at (202) 727-9099 or text your tip to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE at 50411. Crime Solvers of Washington, D.C., is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for this crime
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