Asian woman attacked with hammer in Times Square
Crime continues to surge in New York City; Aishah Hasnie reports.
The suspect in two unprovoked attacks on Asian men in San Francisco last week will be charged with hate crimes, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said Saturday.
Sidney Hammond, 26, was arrested on April 30 and charged with aggravated assault with force after he allegedly attacked an Asian man pushing a 1-year-old baby in a stroller.
Surveillance video from a nearby grocery store obtained by KPIX shows the 36-year-old Asian man in that April 30 attack getting pushed to the ground and pummeled.
San Francisco police originally told Fox News that the attack "appeared to be random" and "no words were exchanged during the incident," but Boudin said Saturday that they received new evidence the assault was "racially motivated."
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The day before that incident, Hammond was caught on video allegedly attacking a 61-year-old Asian man from behind.
The victim in that attack appeared to hit his head on a pole as he fell to the ground, according to a video obtained by KPIX. He had visible injuries to his face and head but refused medical aid.
Police were able to identify Hammond in that assault, who is currently behind held in San Francisco County Jail, through surveillance video taken from the earlier attack. He had been out of custody for a March 28 incident in which he allegedly threatened and assaulted a grocery store employee while stealing something.
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The attacks come amid a wave of violence against Asians in San Francisco and the rest of the country.
Earlier this week, a man brutally attacked and stabbed two elderly Asian women in San Francisco. One of the victim's lungs was pierced, and the other woman had to have the knife removed at the hospital.
Patrick Thompson was arrested and charged with two counts of premeditated attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of elder abuse.
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Boudin said Friday that his office is working with police to determine if hate crimes are warranted in that case.
"Attacks on our AAPI community and especially on our elderly residents are horrifying, not just to the victims who suffer physical injury but to the entire AAPI community that has been living in fear," Boudin said Friday. "We will hold those who commit these acts of violence and hate accountable."
