Three people of Asian descent were threatened with a knife and attacked with a brick in a suspected anti-Asian hate crime in Washington, D.C., last week, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
The suspect approached the three people after midnight on Aug. 18. The suspect asked them to speak with him, according to the police report. He allegedly became upset after they ignored him and began yelling anti-Asian slurs before telling them to go back to their country.
The three people, all residents of Virginia, continued walking away from the suspect when he ran up to them with a large knife, saying he was going to stab one of them in the mouth, the police report said.
The three got into their car, approximately two blocks from the White House, and began driving when the suspect allegedly approached the car at a red light and threw a large brick into the driver-side window, injuring two of the victims.
Two victims were treated at the scene with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
The police have not identified any possible suspects. The victims did not respond to NBC News’ requests for comments.
The attack came after data published by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism earlier this year found that anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 339 percent last year in the U.S. compared to the year before, with several cities surpassing record numbers from 2020.
