NEW YORK, NY – Police in New York City are investigating an assault that took place Monday night in Manhattan. According to police, at around 7:50 pm, a 21-year-old woman was repeatedly punched in the head by an unknown male suspect in front of 535 West 116th Street.
The attack took place during a protest Monday night at Columbia University’s Morning Side Heights campus.
Police said the suspect repeatedly assaulted the woman until she lost consciousness and fell to the ground. The woman was standing on the steps at a building when the unknown male suspect punched her, then began flailing wildly, landing multiple blows, knocking her to the ground as she was speaking into a megaphone at the protest.
The suspect fled the scene. He was captured on camera, and his photo was released by the NYPD on Saturday. The incident was also caught on video. Police are asking students and the public for help in identifying the suspect described as an Asian male.