An image of the alleged suspect and 135-45 Roosevelt Ave. (@oliviamunn and Google Maps)
Feb. 19, 2021 By Christian Murray
The man who was arrested Thursday for assaulting a 52-year-old Asian woman on a Flushing street was released from custody early this morning.
Patrick Mateo, 47, who was charged with assault and harassment, was released this morning at around 3 a.m. without bail, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.
Mateo was arrested yesterday after being seen in a viral video shoving the victim to the ground at around 1:50 p.m. Tuesday following a verbal altercation.
The video shows Mateo throw an item at the woman outside New Flushing Bakery, located at 135-45 Roosevelt Ave., before pushing her to ground, where she sustained a head injury—requiring stitches.
The video, taken from grainy surveillance footage, has gained more than 360,000 views on Instagram.
The victim, Leelee Chin-Yeung, told police that she was standing in line to enter the bakery when she asked Mateo whether he was in the line.
According to court documents, he grew extremely angry, cursed at her and then put his hand in her face. He then went inside the bakery, grabbed a box and threw it at her before shoving her into a newspaper stand. She then fell to the pavement.
Chin-Yeung suffered a laceration to her forehead and lost consciousness. She was treated at a local hosptial.
Mateo was charged with assault in the third degree and harassment in the second degree.
There were no hate crime charges stemming from the attack. The victim’s daughter had said online that Mateo had used racial slurs leading up to the incident.
Mateo was released “under supervision.” Details as to what the “supervision” entails were not known at press time.
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One Comment
This is an outrage. A brutal racist attack in broad daylight, in a predominately Asian neighborhood, and the perp gets a slap on the wrist. When will violent crime be taken seriously? When will racist attacks against Asians be taken seriously?