More today on the attacks of Asian women throughout Manhattan. As we reported yesterday, police are hunting for a suspect who has gone after four victims in the past week. Two of the cases occurred downtown — near Columbus Park and on Grand Street in Little Italy.
The Times has new details about the attack at 48 Mulberry St. on Monday, inside Paragon II Cleaners. According to witnesses, the suspect pressed his cell phone against the window:
A woman working at the counter and a seamstress looked up to read the message. His phone displayed a Chinese message, “something vulgar against women,” said a man who worked the counter at Paragon on Tuesday, translating for the seamstress. “Sexual.” The man, along with the seamstress, did not want to identify themselves because they did not want their names in the news media. The woman who worked at the counter on Monday, who the police said was 41, stepped outside to tell the man in English to leave. They spoke briefly, the seamstress recounted. He left. The man, dressed in a dark T-shirt and jeans, returned and entered the store about 20 minutes later, carrying a plastic bag. The woman at the counter showed him out. Then the seamstress heard a scream, but clothing racks blocked her view. The woman from the counter bled from her mouth. The man had hit her and fled north. She was treated at a hospital and released.
Residents have been posting Chinese/English flyers in the neighborhood. If you have information about the suspect, call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. Police are offering a $2,500 reward for information about these crimes.
UPDATE: Police have identified the suspect as Tyrelle D. Shaw. On his blog, Shaw talks about his infatuation with and rejection by Asian women. He also threatens to end his own life. Police say they do not have an address for Shaw.
