The man accused of randomly assaulting seven Asian American women in New York has been arrested and charged with hate crimes, police say.
“The following individual has been arrested in regards to the below assaults,” the New York Police Department announced on Thursday.
The suspect is 28-year-old Steven Zajonc. Police say he is originally from Florida, and appears to be homeless. So far, he has not released a statement since his arrest, and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Mr Zajonc is accused of committing a horrifying series of assaults on Sunday night, punching or elbowing seven female, Asian pedestrians as he ran his way down southeast Manhattan. The entire spree took about two hours, from 6.30 to 8.37pm. Two of the women were hospitalised.
Surveillance footage from several streets captured Mr Zajonc on camera, and police posted the clips on Twitter. On Wednesday, two security guards at a library in Midtown Manhattan, not far from where one of the assaults took place, realized they recognized the man in the footage as one of their frequent customers.
Just hours later, Mr Zajonc wandered into the library and locked himself in the bathroom. The guards called 911, and police soon arrived and arrested him.
Iris Weinshall, the New York Library’s chief operating officer, praised the two employees in a statement.
“Our guards have the extremely challenging job, especially under recent circumstances, of keeping our branches safe and welcoming for all New Yorkers,” Ms Weinshall told NY1 on Wednesday. “They do this extremely well every day, but today went above and beyond to help the NYPD keep our streets safer … We are so proud (but not surprised) of their quick thinking and good work.”
Mr Zajonc has been charged with seven counts – one for each victim – of assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment, and harassment.
Attacks against Asian Americans have skyrocketed in recent years, particularly in New York City. According to NYPD data, bias incidents against Asians in the city have more than quadrupled, from 28 in 2020 to 131 in 2021.
In Sunday’s spree, the first attack took place in Midtown Manhattan at about 6.30pm. Police say Mr Zajonc approached a 57-year-old woman, punched her in the face, and fled the scene.
“There was no prior interaction and no statements were made,” the NYPD told NBC News.
About 10 minutes later, on East 30th St, police say the suspect punched a 25-year-old woman in the face and arm, then fled the scene again.
As Mr Zajonc made his way down Manhattan, his attacks accelerated. Over the next 10 minutes, he allegedly punched a 21-year-old on East 23rd St, then a 25-year-old on East 17th St. Then he allegedly elbowed two women in the face – the first victim aged 19, the second 25.
At 8.37pm, the suspect allegedly pushed a 20-year-old woman to the ground on East 8th St. Police say this was his final attack.
