82-year-old Asian woman sprayed with mace, beaten with stick
By Jaclyn Schultz
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LAS VEGAS (KVVU) — Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are investigating a brutal attack on a 82-year-old Asian woman who was sprayed with mace and beaten with a stick.
Police are classifying the case as “Battery with Deadly Weapon involving Older Person,” but neighbors reached out to FOX5 with concerns that the elderly woman was targeted.
The incident happened at 1:30 a.m. off Fremont Street and 9th Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Witnesses tell FOX5, the woman lives in the area and went down the street for a late night snack for herself and her husband.
One witness described hearing the attacker mutter sayings about “God,” and two witnesses saw him spray her with what appeared to be mace. That’s when someone started to film the encounter, and the video shows the male beating the woman with a stick.
The audio depicts screaming and neighbors yelling “Stop” from their balconies.
After 911 was called, witnesses rushed to the woman’s side.
“We saw the victim was sitting on the sidewalk and multiple cop cars were there assisting her. She had visible bruising,” a witness said.
The woman was transported to a local hospital.
Multiple neighbors did not want to go on camera or be identified, concerned the attacker could target them next. Though the number of homeless people and mentally ill persons on the streets has risen, and at least one voiced concerns about walking the dark, several said they had never seen an attack escalate to this level.
“I do believe she was attacked because she’s an easy target and it seems the attack on Asian communities have increased since COVID,” a witness said.
Another neighbor voiced similar concerns that the crime is “half racially motivated and easy target. No one’s ever tried that on me,” the male neighbor said.
FOX5 has asked LVMPD about the health status of the woman and the search for the suspect. FOX5 is waiting to hear back.
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