The incident was reported just before 6.30pm near Baxter and Worth streets. No words were exchanged between the victim and the suspect.
The suspect started running after the attack. Bystanders came to the victim’s aid.
The 36-year-old victim, who is an Asian, was taken to hospital.
The victim had to be operated on and according to officials his condition was deteriorating,
The Asian Task Force on Hate Crime has been called in to assist with the investigation. Currently, there was no evidence of a hate crime.
FYI …. tonight on worth and baxter, an Asian man was stabbed and the case is being handled and investigated by us @ NYPD5Pct which also called on the Asian Hate Crime Task Force to assist in the investigation. Currently, there is no evidence of a hate crime.
Stay safe people.– Yuh-Line Niou (@yuhline) 26 February 2021
According to sources, a person of interest walked into the Manhattan district attorney’s office and turned himself in to police.
They say the security guard at the scene has alerted authorities. Officers then arrived and arrested the suspect.
Sources say they are currently being questioned in the fifth district.
Community members said they were furious and angry after the latest attack on an Asian New Yorker.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and other officials spoke out earlier this week about the city’s renewed effort to confront hate crimes against Asians.
“Every community has suffered, but the Asian American community has had a particular pain, a terrible challenge,” de Blasio said. “Because on top of that, the suffering of the coronavirus itself, in addition to the loss of loved ones losing businesses, people had to face horrific discrimination and hatred.”
The Asian Task Force on Hate Crime focuses on the entire city, but they will pay particular attention to the subways following a rash in the transit system.
Community leaders say the incident is just another reason why the task force should be funded and staffed with full-time officers.
“You need to be able to give them the resources they need to help solve the problem,” said Jenny Low, community advocate. “I believe they have very good officers who are well trained to do that. But a volunteer concert is still a voluntary performance.”
RELATED | Mayor de Blasio says the Asian Task Force on Hate Crime is working to combat a number of prejudice crimes in NYC
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More news on Manhattan
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for newsletters
* Follow us on YouTube
Submit a news tip
Copyright © 2021 WABC-TV. All rights reserved.