Police: Jarrod Powell Arrested In Vicious Attack On Asian Man In East Harlem
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The suspect in the brutal attack on an Asian man in East Harlem is now charged with attempted murder and assault as a hate crime.
That came after the victim's wife joined elected officials and community advocates Tuesday afternoon to denounce hate and violence, CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reported.
On the same corner where the assault happened, a group gathered for Yao Pan Ma. They stood alongside a picture of him in a hospital bed, where he remains in a coma after he was repeatedly stomped on in an attack that was captured on surveillance camera.
His wife was too distraught to speak.
"She is going through a lot of pain and trauma right now," Assemblyman Ron Kim said.
At the rally condemning anti-Asian hate, community advocate Karlin Chan spoke on the family's behalf.
"To express gratitude for all the outpouring of support here," she said.
They were also grateful that the NYPD made an arrest in the case.
Jarrod Powell, 49, who is homeless and has served prison time, walked out of the 25th Precinct station house in handcuffs Tuesday morning. When asked if he attacked a man, Powell said, "No. I was maced. I was attacked."
Police sources said there is no evidence Powell was attacked, or that he and the victim who he allegedly assaulted knew each other.
Video of the Friday night attack at the corner of Third Avenue and East 125th Street is quite graphic. At the time, Ma, an immigrant from China, was collecting cans to support his family after losing his job in the coronavirus pandemic.
"We failed Yao Pan Ma. He was collecting cans to make rent because the system would not support him when he got laid off from his job as a dish washer. No unemployment checks for Yao. We failed Jarrod Powell and the Black and brown communities," Kim said.
Powell is facing hate crime charges, adding to the spike in anti-Asian hate crimes in New York City. NYPD data from April 16 shows year to date 66 incidents compared to 12 last year.
"What is happening to our Asian American Pacific Islander community here in the city should not and cannot be tolerated," Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez said.
In just one day, $400,000 was raised for the victim's family. An organizer said even with the family's extreme need, their immediate response was to ask if they could give some to community groups doing the preventative work.
If you want to help the family, you can find the GoFundMe page here.
