Police investigating possible hate crime in New York City subway assault

Image from surveillance footage of a suspect the New York Police Department is seeking in conjunction with a hate crime investigation involving a subway assault. (Photo: NYPD)
Image from surveillance footage of a suspect the New York Police Department is seeking in conjunction with a hate crime investigation involving a subway assault. (Photo: NYPD)

The New York City Police Department is investigating an incident involving a Hispanic man, who was allegedly beaten and pushed onto the subway tracks Friday night at Manhattan’s Union Square subway station.

According to the NYPD, the suspect is a black man wearing a red hat and red T-shirt that displayed President Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” The suspect reportedly shouted racial slurs at the victim.

A press release sent out by the NYPD on Saturday said the incident occurred after the 24-year-old victim “engaged in a verbal dispute” with the suspect on board a 4 train as it approached the Union Square station.

The NYPD said the suspect “made multiple derogatory statements regarding the victim’s ethnicity” during the argument. After the victim got off the train, police said the suspect followed him onto the platform and “punched him on his head multiple times” before pushing the victim onto the tracks.

The victim was helped off the tracks by a friend and another person before a train passed by, police said. The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries he sustained when he fell onto the tracks.

A police source confirmed to Yahoo News that the incident is being investigated as a hate crime and that the victim is Mexican. Local news station NY1 reported the suspect berated the victim for “taking jobs” away from Americans.

The NYPD is seeking public assistance in identifying the suspect. Police released a video of the suspect standing on the train platform. The NYPD described the suspect as a “male, black, dark complexion, heavy build, wearing a red ‘Make America Great Again’ hat, a red shirt with the words ‘Make America Great Again’ in white letters, blue dungaree overalls, a black ¾ jacket, and jewelry around his neck.”

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

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