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Police arrested 38-year-old Lloyd Revell at the Skyline Hotel this morning in connection with the assault on Tuesday of an Asian man at W43rd Street and 11th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen. ABC Eyewitness News reporter CeFaan Kim reported on Twitter that Revell is being charged with assault as a hate crime.
NYPD Crime Stoppers had offered a $3,500 reward for help in identifying the attacker who allegedly punched the man, bit off part of his finger and told him to “go back to China”. NYPD Hate Crimes said on Twitter: “Thanks to Detective Oscar Fernandez and the team, and swift action by Detective Cozart, Manhattan Warrants, an individual has been arrested and charged with Assault 1 as a Hate Crime.”
This is the third Asian hate crime in the area within 6 weeks — and the third that has ended up with a homeless person being arrested. The first — the vicious attack on a 65-year-old Filipino woman, Vilma Kari — ended up in the arrest of Brandon Elliot, who was living at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel on W40th Street.
Public safety has become a major issue on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen — and it’s not limited to Asian hate crimes. A week ago, a local woman, Danielle Jordan, was punched in the face by what she described as “a random person” just outside of Pearl Studios on 8th Avenue and W36th Street. “No confrontation, I didn’t even see it coming. Just a possibly drugged out and disturbed person that decided to punch a random person and today, I was that person,” she shared on Facebook. “This city is full of some very angry and broken people — my heart breaks for the person who chose to do this. I will heal, I will be ok — but my self-tapes will look a little busted this week. We keep on going and living no matter what.”
Danielle was left with a small orbital fracture under her eye. A person has been arrested in connection with the assault which happened on May 12.
This afternoon, local activist Holly-Anne Devlin appealed via email to elected officials, city service executives and NYPD precincts that cover Hell’s Kitchen for help. “This is absurd. These hate crimes in Hell’s Kitchen have all been committed by homeless individuals. After one shelter resident from W40th Street smashed a 65-year-old woman in the skull and made international news, it’s now been confirmed that a shelter resident at the infamous nightmare of the Skyline Hotel beat a 40-year-old man across from my apartment,” the co-founder of Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Action Committee said. “These shelter residents are not being taken care of. The residents in question are mentally ill, ex-convicts allowed to just run rampant around Hell’s Kitchen horrifically assaulting AAPI residents.”
The New York Post reported last month on the increase in crime in Hell’s Kitchen and shared figures that showed police had been called to the Skyline Hotel on average nearly 4 times per day in 2021.
Yesterday, W42ST appealed for Corey Johnson, the area’s New York City Council Member, to get back to work and help Hell’s Kitchen in this crisis.