The 30-year-old man police have been looking for in connection with a random, unprovoked attack on a woman in Times Square over the weekend has been arrested on charges including assault as a hate crime, authorities said Tuesday.
Anthony Evans was apprehended earlier in the day in Manhattan. He also is accused of criminal possession of a weapon in the broad daylight attack on a 59-year-old Asian woman just walking in the Crossroads of the World Sunday morning.
Police released Evans' name a day ago as they asked the public for help identifying the man seen in surveillance footage ambushing the woman from behind and slashing her with a box cutter at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue.
It wasn't clear how the NYPD tracked down Evans, nor was it immediately clear if he had an attorney.
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The suspect, identified by the NYPD as 30-year-old Anthony Evans, allegedly walked up behind a woman as she was walking along 42nd Street near Seventh Avenue around 10 a.m. Sunday. As she was pulling a cart and minding her own business, Evans charged at her and slashed her right hand with the weapon, according to police.
The 59-year-old victim, an Asian woman, was taken to Bellevue Hospital. She is expected to recover. Cops said she was pulling a cart and minding her own business when Evans allegedly charged at her, slashed her and walked off.
As recently as Monday night police had said they weren't investigating the case as a hate crime. It's not clear what prompted the related charge Tuesday.
