Cops: Woman Shouted Slurs at Undercover Chinatown Cop

Police in New York City say a woman shouted anti-Asian slurs at a succession of Asian-Americans Tuesday. The last one was an undercover cop. Sharon Williams, 50, was arrested and charged with harassment as a hate crime after the officer called for backup, the Washington Post reports. Police say Williams insulted and threatened Asian workers at a nail salon near Chinatown, telling them, "You brought the corona to this country," before harassing an Asian pedestrian. Police say that when the undercover cop tried to intervene, Williams called him a "monkey" and a "Chinese mother----er who brought COVID to this country," reports the New York Daily News.

The NYPD increased patrols in Chinatown and other Asian communities last month to combat anti-Asian attacks, CBS2 reports. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea warned that "the next person you target ... may be a plainclothes New York City police officer, so think twice." The New York Times reports that with anti-Asian hate crimes surging—35 have been reported so far this year, compared to 28 in 2020 and three in 2019—volunteers have formed at least four community patrol groups, including Chinatown Block Watch, founded by Karlin Chan, a lifelong New Yorker who experienced racism growing up in the area in the early '60s. (More anti-Asian attack stories.)