New York police have arrested a suspected hammer attacker, accused of smashing an Asian man in the head on Tuesday night after a minor row.
Christian Jeffers, 48, who identifies as a woman, was caught on camera in a wig and purple lipstick attacking the 29-year-old at around 9pm at 14th Street station in Manhattan.
On Wednesday, Jeffers was spotted by a transit officer shortly after 2pm, having jumped the turnstile. Jeffers, wearing the same top and jacket but without the wig, and without the blue jeans and red shoes, was taken into custody. A hammer was found in her bag.
It has been charged with second-degree assault, and faces possible hate crimes charges.
The victim, who does not want to be named, said he is fed up with rising crime in the Big Apple - and that he wants his hammer-wielding attacker 'locked up.'
'I want to get him locked up because he was pretty aggressive,' the victim, who chose not to be identified, told the New York Post.
'He was looking for trouble.
'We're trying to live our lives as well as we can, you know, and it's just unfortunate that we have to face all these adversities, along with just all the struggles in life,' he added.
The man said the attack took him by surprise and he was in shock when he saw blood running down the side of his head.
'It happened, like, too quick for me to react...It wasn't painful,' he said. 'I was kind of just shocked and dazed a little bit and trying to process at that time.'
The violent hammer attack is being investigated as a possible hate crime by police.
As of February 27, hate crimes targeting all minorities, not just Asian-Americans, were up more than 142 percent compared with the same period last year.
Footage of the attack shows the suspect pulling the hammer from his bag.
'Why you hit me?' the suspect yells before attacking the victim.
'Why the f*** you hit me?'
After trading words, the attacker took out a hammer and struck the victim on the head before fleeing the scene.
The victim, who remained conscious, was taken to Bellevue Hospital.
Police described Jeffers as male, about 6-foot-2, wearing a wig, purple lipstick, blue jeans, red shoes and a red jacket, and carrying a tote bag.
The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force has been notified of the assault, although it is not known if the attack was motivated by anti-Asian bias, police added.
New York City has, however, seen a huge rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, with police figures showing a 343 percent rise during the Covid pandemic.
48-yr-old who identifies female arrested for NYC subway hammer attack
Christian Jeffers, 48, was detained on Wednesday after jumping a turnstile, with a hammer in her bag. Jeffers has been charged with second-degree assault, after Tuesday night's attack.
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