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Police Search For Assailant Suspected Of Slashing Man In Chelsea Because He Was White

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police were hunting Tuesday for a suspect they believe attacked a man in Chelsea because he is white.

As CBS2's Jessica Layton reported, the violent encounter around 6 a.m. last Friday was recorded by a camera in the Empire Grocery & Deli on West 25th Street and Ninth Avenue.

New surveillance video was released late Tuesday.

"My customers are like family over here," said store owner Abdul Mohamed.

But the assailant was not a customer Mohamed has seen before inside his store, and he never wants him in the store again – after the suspect slashed a man in what police called a possible hate crime.

"Many times they're fighting outside – about what? We don't know about what they're fighting about," Mohamed said.

Police said the victim was walking down the street with his girlfriend when a man sitting on a stoop made some kind of anti-white comment. The fight started on the street and the victim ran into the store, and the suspect followed, police said.

"They started from outside, they got inside the store, the black guy with the knife tried to swing at him and tried to slice his face. So he's swinging more than one time, and I think he hit him in his hand," Sammy, a clerk who witnessed the attack, told 1010 WINS' John Montone.

In front of the candy is where the scuffle continued. The suspect is seen slamming the 40-year-old victim into the ATM before trying to slash his face, as the clerk described.

The suffered a cut to his wrist, police said.

CBS2 showed customers near the corner of West 25th Street and Ninth Avenue the video.

"I live one block away so that's pretty frightening," said Chloe Perez of Chelsea.

"I'm not surprised," said Andre Robles of Chelsea. "It's always happening around this neighborhood."

"Oh my goodness – you're not safe going to the store at night," said Aysha Curtis of Chelsea.

Curtis was even more shocked upon finding out the attack happened at 6 a.m. Friday. Four days later, there had been no arrest.

Mohamed remained concerned for his customers Tuesday.

"I hope everybody's safe, you know" Mohamed said.

Police late Tuesday were anxious to get the suspect out of our stores, off the streets and into a jail cell.

The suspect was described as a black man around 30 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall and between 200 and 240 pounds. He fled the scene on foot.

Anyone with information regarding this incident has been asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and entering TIP577. All calls will be kept strictly confidential.

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