An image of the alleged suspect and 135-45 Roosevelt Ave. (@oliviamunn and Google Maps)
Feb. 17, 2021 By Michael Dorgan
A video has gone viral of a man shoving an Asian woman to the pavement in Flushing – sparking an appeal to cops from actress Olivia Munn.
The video, which has gained nearly 50,000 views on Instagram, appears to show the man push a woman to the ground following a verbal altercation near Main Street on Tuesday.
The grainy surveillance footage was posted by the victim’s daughter Maggie Kayla Cheng Wednesday, who said in a previous post that the man made racial slurs against her mother.
The incident was reported to the police, which said the assault took place outside New Flushing Bakery, located at 135-45 Roosevelt Ave., at around 2 p.m.
The footage posted by Cheng also appears to show the man throw an item at the victim before he lurches toward her.
He then grabs the woman with both hands, pushes her a few steps backward and then aggressively flings her to the ground. The suspect then turns around and walks away.
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The push caused the woman, 52, to hit her head against an object, according to police. She was transported to Booth Hospital by EMS with minor injuries.
An image of the alleged assailant was tweeted out by actress Olivia Munn, who appealed to the NYPD to track him down. Munn said that she is a friend of Maggie Kayla Cheng.
“We’re gonna find this guy. Queens, Internet, please… do your shit,” Munn wrote.
My friend’s mom is a 5’3” 50+ Chinese woman and she was attacked by this guy in Flushing, NY yesterday on Main St and Roosevelt between 2-4pm. She left the hospital with 10 stitches in her head.
We’re gonna find this guy. Queens, Internet, please… do your shit. ??@NYPD109Pct pic.twitter.com/hrB3kchxGH
— O M (@oliviamunn) February 17, 2021
Cheng wrote that her mother passed out on the pavement and required a number of stitches to her forehead.
“What if she landed the wrong way?” Cheng wrote. “Thankfully she is okay with some stitches. But elderly people die from hard falls. I can’t describe the emotions I am feeling,” she posted.
Cheng said she posted the video to draw attention to hate crimes against Asians. There were 27 reported hate crimes against Asians last year, according to a report by The City, citing NYPD data. The number is up dramatically from 2019, when just three incidents were reported.
It is unclear what the suspect said to the woman or what caused the argument.
An NYPD spokesperson said that the initial police report makes no mention that the crime was racially motivated. However, victims are encouraged to reach back out to investigators when they recall additional information.
The suspect was last seen wearing a red jacket and gray pants, cops said.
The NYPD said that photos of the alleged suspect being circulated online have not yet been verified by police and the investigation is ongoing.
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