Undercover Asian NYPD Officer Arrests Woman for Hate Crime After She Blamed Salon Workers for COVID

The incident happened on Tuesday on Madison Street. The woman, identified as 50-year-old Sharon Williams, was caught harassing Asian employees at a Chinatown nail salon by threatening them and blaming them for the COVID-19 pandemic, according to CBS New York.

“You brought the corona to this country,” Williams allegedly said.

She also threatened another Asian woman outside the nail salon, ABC7 New York’s CeFaan Kim reported.

Williams later directed her attention to the undercover Asian officer who intervened. She called him a “monkey” and “Chinese motherf**ker” and also blamed him for the pandemic, New York Daily News reported.

She has been charged with criminal trespass and aggravated harassment as a hate crime.

Last month, the NYPD deployed several undercover Asian officers to combat the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes by patrolling the city streets. William’s arrest is the first arrest made by one of the officers from this new initiative.

“If you are going to commit a hate crime in New York City, we will find you,” New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a statement. “We are not going to tolerate anyone being targeted because of the color of their skin, the religion they worship, their sexual preference or anything else.”

In addition to the undercover officers, the NYPD also installed hundreds of surveillance cameras as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to fight hate crimes.

Feature Image via CBS NewYork