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- A Brooklyn man was arrested and charged in connection to three anti-Asian crimes, CNN reported.
- Joseph Russo, 28, is facing 23 charges stemming from the three incidents within the past month.
- In the latest incident, he allegedly pushed a 77-year-old Asian man who was buying groceries.
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A Brooklyn man was arrested and faces 23 charges stemming from three anti-Asian incidents in the span of one month, CNN reported.
Joseph Russo, 28, allegedly pushed a 64-year-old Asian-American woman to the ground on March 5, according to The Wall Street Journal.
On March 22, police say Russo pulled the hair of a 31-year-old Asian woman, and on April 5 he pushed a 77-year-old Asian man who was buying groceries. There was surveillance footage captured of the last two incidents.
The New York Police Department did not reply to Insider's request for comment but told CNN that Russo was first arrested on drug charges after being found with crack cocaine residue and paraphernalia. He's being held on $100,000 bail.
CNN reported that the NYPD recorded 31 anti-Asian hate crimes between January 1 and March 28, compared to none in the same time period last year.
Reports of hate crimes against Asian Americans have increased dramatically in the past year. Last week, a man used a metal post to trash an Asian American-owned convenience store while yelling racial slurs in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The week before that, a 65-year-old Asian woman was yelled at and assaulted while on her way to church in New York City.
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