NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea calls hate crime surge a crisis

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 3:20 PM PT – Friday, April 2, 2021

NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea called the growing number of hate crimes a “crisis.” His statement came as the NYPD investigated a Wednesday attack in which a Jewish family, including a one-year-old child in a stroller, was slashed with a knife while taking a walk in Manhattan.

Breaking: An attack on a Jewish family in Manhattan Wednesday is under investigation by the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force, Police Commissioner @NYPDShea told me. A man, woman and their one-year-old child were slashed with a knife on Wednesday.

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) April 2, 2021

In an interview Friday, Shea also pointed at rhetoric and mental illness as the key factors for the rise in hate crimes. Shea said a common factor shared between several suspects in attacks like these is that many of them have had previous run-ins with the law.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea tells @jimsciutto that the increase of hate crimes in the city is a “crisis.”

“You really have to drill down on this mental illness piece. … This is a crisis. And we need people to really acknowledge that.” https://t.co/fZk2opigHf pic.twitter.com/aRPLsmK2Tt

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) April 2, 2021

“So, something is clearly broken here,” Shea stated. “Listen, I’m sure we’re going to talk about marijuana legislation, [but] that’s the least of my concerns, to be honest. But if we have time to write detailed legislation about marijuana, let’s spend some of that time to fix this broken system and protect people. Not just in New York City, but across the country because this is a crisis.”

Police have arrested 30-year-old Darryl Jones, who was paroled in March after being arrested at least seven times before. Fortunately, the family suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

MORE NEWS: NYPD: Mental Illness The Common Factor In Attacks On Asians

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