An Asian man who was brutally beaten in New York last April has died from injuries he sustained in the attack.
Chinese immigrant Yao Pan Ma, 61, died on Dec. 31 after spending months in a medically induced coma in the ICU following the incident.
Ma was collecting cans at the time of the attack to make ends meet after losing his restaurant during the pandemic.
Police say a man named Jared Powell, 49 attacked him from behind and kicked him in the head before leaving the scene. Powell was arrested three days later at a homeless shelter and told officers he attacked Ma because he had been robbed of his jewelry and money by “a Korean guy” and a Japanese man the day before, according to New York Daily News.
Powell said he was angry when he attacked Ma so instead of helping him up when he fell to the ground, he kicked him in the head.
Surveillance video shows Powell stomping on Ma’s head.
Powell was charged with attempted murder and assault as a hate crime following the incident. His charges are expected to be upgraded to murder.
The attack on Ma was one in a string of hate crimes against Asian Americans that increased during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 9,000 incidents of anti-Asian hate were reported throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, according Stop AAPI Hate.
