The New York Police Department said Thursday that they’ve received “a lot of good information” that help track down the suspect who attacked an Asian American woman two days earlier.
47-year-old Patrick Mateo was charged with assault and harassment after being caught on a viral video intimidating a 52-year-old Asian American woman as she waited in line outside of a Queens bakery.
Mateo reportedly “engaged her in a verbal dispute” then shoved her to the ground causing her to hit her head and sustain a 10-stitch injury on the forehead.
The suspect escaped the scene but witnesses took photos and videos of him on social media which helped investigators to identify and locate him.
“Hate crime has no place in our community,” the victim’s daughter posted on Instagram. “How you go up against a 5’3 110-115 lbs lady?
According to the NYPD data, hate crimes against Asian Americans have soared in the course of the last year by 1,900%.
