Serial puncher charged in string of attacks on women throughout NYC
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NEW YORK - A man has been charged in connection to a string of attacks on women throughout New York City in the last month, according to police.
Daquan Armstead, 31, is accused of randomly punching several women in a spree of hate crimes near Lower Manhattan.
In the first incident on March 24, police said Armstead punched a 30-year-old woman in the face, causing pain and dizziness near Essex and Delancey Street.
A day later, Armstead is accused of punching a 36-year-old woman in the back near Forsyth Street.
Armstead continued his rampage on April 2, punching a 38-year-old woman on the back of the head near 7th Avenue and Charles Street.
On April 5, the man punched yet another woman, this time punching a 44-year-old woman in the face near Delancey Street and Allen Street.
In the sixth incident, the suspect punched a 24-year-old woman in the head on Stanton Street on April 8.
The suspect also punched a 27-year-old woman in the head on April 17.
The serial puncher was arrested and charged with third-degree assault and harassment in seven unprovoked attacks on women.
This comes weeks after the NYPD said they launched an investigation into women being punched in the city.
Recently, several videos went viral on social media showing women describing being suddenly hit by a stranger on a Manhattan sidewalk in recent weeks, though the NYPD did not say if the arrest was related to one of those incidents.
In one report, a woman claimed she was walking near West 16th and 7th Avenue when an unknown individual hit her in the head. She then fell to the ground, suffering injuries to the left side of her face, and was treated at a nearby facility.
"I literally just got punched by some man on the sidewalk. He goes sorry and then punches me in the head," one woman recounted.