Steven Zajonc has been arrested by the police after he assaulted 7 women of Asian descent in New York. This is another example of the increase in hate crimes against Asians in the United States.
Let’s explore what police investigation has found out so far.
Following the outbreak of Covid, a massive surge in harassment and hate crimes against people of Asian descent has been seen in the US. Although there have been efforts to stop, the steps do not seem to be effective.
There is no way that Steven could explain what he did was the right thing to do. Amid various hate crimes against various communities, Asians are being targets of many racists worldwide.
Steven Zajonc Assault 7 Asian Women
Steven harassed 7 women of Asian descent physically. As of now, there does not seem to be any reason for assault but a racially motivated move. There are no reports of any woman getting seriously injured, so it is likely that all of them suffered only minor injuries.
As per The New York Times, Steven started his assault at 6:30 pm on Sunday and continued it for two hours assaulting Asian descent women of the age group from 19 to 57.
During his spree of hate crime, he extended to assault women from Madison Avenue and East 30th Street to Broadway and East Eighth Street. There is no doubt that this was a racially motivated crime because all of the victims are of the same background.
He punched and elbowed all the women, but there was no verbal exchange between Steven and any woman. He suddenly appeared and punched the woman and ran out of the scene.
NY Man Arrested After Video Surfaces
There is video footage of the incident, which helped the police to track him. He was arrested from midtown on Wednesday afternoon. As of now, he is still in custody and is facing multiple charges.
He has been charged with a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment, and harassment, according to CBS. So far, man has denied making any statement. However, more information about him is being released.
It has been reported that he is probably homeless and his last recorded address was in Florida. The man does not have any criminal record in New York. People are wondering if he is related to any racially motivated group.
It can be expected that this hate crime will be treated harshly, so it won’t condone such crime that is a threat to society. The police will release more updates as the investigation goes further.