Police have arrested and charged the man who allegedly attacked a 75-year-old Chinese woman in Corona in May.
Christian Batista, a 24-year-old who lives in Corona, was arrested and charged on the morning of Monday, June 7, according to authorities.
Batista is charged with assault in the second and third degree, according to authorities.
According to a police report, a 75-year-old woman was walking in the vicinity of 97th Place and 57th Avenue at about 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26. Then, suddenly, Batista allegedly punched her in the face in an unprovoked attack.
She fell to the ground and suffered a fractured nose and right orbital bone, and was transported to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition, according to authorities.
In a surveillance video released by police, Batista was allegedly seen walking on foot eastbound on 57th Avenue.
The NYPD investigated the incident as a hate crime, a police spokesperson told QNS.
The woman’s grandson, Alex Yem, previously told QNS his grandmother, a longtime resident of Corona, was “OK” and physically recovering from the attack.
He wants to make sure those actions “don’t go unpunished.”
Yem said he’s encouraged that the man who allegedly assaulted another Asian woman in Flushing several months ago was indicted on hate crime charges, but hopes more is done to address the root causes of the attacks.
“I don’t think much of the problems can really be fixed in one day. If anything, it’s more of just teaching the younger generation that that type of thing is just not OK,” Yem said.
To find resources on how to report hate crimes and incidents, safety resources or how to help, go to StopAAPIHate.org or the Asian American Federation’s website at aafederation.org.
The investigation is ongoing.
