New York City police search for man who attacked seven Asian women in two-hour, weekend rampage

The New York Police Department on Wednesday continued its search for a male who during a two-hour weekend rampage  attacked seven Asian women. 

The department's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the attacks and describes the suspect as a light-complected, blond male. His victims range in age from 19 to 57, and all of them were either injured by getting punched or assaulted in a similar manner, officials say. 

The incidents began Sunday at 6:30 p.m. in Midtown and ended shortly past 8:30 p.m., when the suspect shoved a 20-year-old woman to the ground.

According to a study from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, anti-Asian hate crimes rose by 339% in 2021, relative to 2020. The NYPD says there were more than 500 anti-Asian hate crimes in 2021.

Some experts have attributed the spike to the COVID-19 pandemic having started in China. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, recently announced a $10 million investment in the state's Asian-American communities and underscored how the recent spike in hate crimes in those areas have hurt their residents. 

"The Asian American community was especially hard hit, not only by the virus, but by an increase in hate and violent crimes," she said. "With this $10 million in funding, we are sending a strong message that hate has no home here, and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our sisters and brothers in the Asian American community."