Coronavirus hate attack: Woman in face mask allegedly assaulted by man who calls her 'diseased'
A Twitter video posted on February 4, 2020 by @TonyySays shows a woman being assaulted in a New York City subway. The woman wore a face mask at the time, which apparently provoked the man's kicking, punching, and verbal abuse; a witness overheard the man call the woman a "diseased b----", alluding to recent coronavirus concerns. Although the NYPD reports the date and location of the attack is unclear, Deputy Chief of Staff Marian Guerra believes the attack happened in Chinatown, as many of her district constituents have been unfairly perceived as carriers of the coronavirus. The New York City Police Department's hate crimes unit is seeking help from the public to identify the assailant.