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A 61-year-old Chinese American man who police said was attacked by a man who kicked him repeatedly in the head in East Harlem, remains in a medically induced coma as police search for the suspect.
The man was collecting cans when he was attacked from behind, knocked to the ground and kicked in the head shortly after 8 p.m. Friday. He was taken to Harlem Hospital in critical but stable condition, police said.
Surveillance video released by the police appears to show the attacker stomping on the victim's head. Police have not specified a motive. New video also shows the suspect inside a bodega and wearing a distinct multicolor hat.
The department's hate crimes task force is investigating the attack, the latest in a troubling rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in New York and around the country.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the attack “outrageous” on Twitter. “Make no mistake, we will find the perpetrator and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” de Blasio said Saturday.