Three teen girls were charged with hate crimes after police say they attacked a woman on a bus in New York City, made anti-Asian statements about her and accused her of causing the coronavirus pandemic.
The 51-year-old victim had been riding an MTA bus in the Bronx on March 28 when a group that included the three teens began harassing her. At some point, someone in the group struck the woman in the head with an umbrella.
The victim was transported to a local hospital and received stitches, police said.
The group fled the scene, but police later found three 15-year-old girls near the scene of the attack and charged them with hate crime assaults, menacing and harassment. As of Monday afternoon, authorities were still searching for a fourth female, likely another teen, NYPD Lt. Thomas Antonetti told CNN .