An Asian woman was assaulted in Manhattan by a stranger who blamed her for the spread of COVID-19, the latest case of a suspected coronavirus-inspired hate crime, police and sources said.
The 34-year-old woman was walking north on Madison Avenue near East 25th Street in Manhattan around 6:15 p.m. Monday when Lynn Ferguson, of the Bronx, walked up to her and spat in her face after blaming her for the spread of the deadly virus, cops said.
When the woman tried to walk away, Ferguson, 33, attacked her, yanking at her hair hard enough to pull some of the hair out, cops and sources said.
Ferguson was apprehended by a traffic agent who saw the scuffle, and was later arrested, sources said.
She was charged with hate crime assault, aggravated assault as a hate crime, possession of a hypodermic instrument, and possession of marijuana, cops said.
The victim was treated and released at the scene, sources said.