A Brooklyn man faces hate crime charges for allegedly stabbing an Asian man in the back because he 'didn't like the way he looked at him,' according to police..
Salman Muflihi, 23, reportedly stabbed the 36-year-old victim with an eight-inch knife while walking near the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in the Chinatown neighborhood in Manhattan at around 6.20pm Thursday, authorities shared.
After the attack, Muflihi ran to a nearby security guard at the Manhattan district attorney's office building on Hogan Place.
'I just stabbed someone. Where are the police at?,' he reportedly told the guard, according to ABC 7.
Salman Muflihi,,23, reportedly stabbed the 36-year-old victim with an eight-inch knife while walking near the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse
The unidentified man, who had been walking home at the time of the assault, was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition
Muflihi told detectives that he stabbed the man 'because he didn't like the way he looked at him.'
The unidentified man, who had been walking home at the time of the assault, was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition.
But by Friday, the man conditioned worsened to 'semi-stable' as the knife damaged vital organs. Sources shared with the New York Daily News that the man's liver and his right kidney had to be removed during surgery.
Police recovered the knife near the scene of the attack.
Police recovered the knife near the scene of the attack
While Muflihi was not initially charged with hate crime, police added the charge once they determined he was suspected for a string of attacks
The Bensonhurst resident was arrested and initially charged with attempted criminally negligent homicide, criminal possession of a weapon, assault and possession of a fake ID, PIX 11 reports.
The additional hate crime charge was added to the attempted murder and assault charges after police determined that the suspect had allegedly punched a 28-year-old Asian man in the head in Brooklyn in January.
Muflihi was also detained in September 2019 for allegedly assaulting his brother in Brooklyn.
Authorities describe the man as being emotionally disturbed.
Authorities describe the man as being emotionally disturbed. Police at the scene of the assault
Anti-Asian attacks have been on a rise in New York City since the beginning of the pandemic, with police recording 28 incidents of 'COVID-related' hate crimes
Anti-Asian attacks have been on a rise in New York City since the beginning of the pandemic, with police recording 28 incidents of 'COVID-related' hate crimes.
Mayor Bill de Blasio slammed the attack with Muflihi and made reference to the uptick in Anti-Asian crimes.
'Even as we're sounding the alarm and calling for people to band together to stop hate, we had a horrible incident yesterday, a horrible act of violence against an Asian-American man — out of nowhere, just pure hatred,' de Blasio said.
'The suspect has been apprehended. We're hoping and praying for this man as he fights for his life.'
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