The 'X-Men: Apocalypse' actress is grateful for the outpouring support after pleading with her online followers to help track down a man attacking an Asian-American woman in New York.
- February 19, 2021
AceShowbiz - New York police have arrested a man on suspicion of assaulting an Asian-American woman following a public plea from actress Olivia Munn.
The "X-Men: Apocalypse" star appealed for help from her social media followers on Wednesday (17Feb21) after revealing the 52-year-old Chinese woman attacked outside a bakery in Queens on Tuesday afternoon was a friend's mother.
Sharing images of the suspect from surveillance footage, Munn condemned the rise in violence against members of the Asian community since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and explained, "She left the hospital with 10 stitches in her head. These racist hate crimes against our elders have got to stop."
"We're gonna find this guy," she vowed. "Queens, Internet, please... do your s**t."
She then shared links for local authorities for anyone with information to identify the suspect, and on Thursday, cops arrested a Queens man named Patrick Mateo and charged him with assault and harassment.
Celebrating the development in the case after the news was made public, Munn thanked the community for helping to track him down.
"YOU GUYS DID THIS!!!!" she wrote. "I'm beyond grateful to all of you for caring and posting and retweeting and FINDING THIS GUY!!! I love you all so much."
"The Asian community felt your outrage and support and YOU GUYS DID THIS!! Thank you thank you thank you thank you (sic)."
According to TMZ sources, the incident is not being investigated as a hate crime as the initial dispute is believed to have been about social distancing. The victim told police she had been waiting in line at the bakery when she was approached by the man, who began yelling at her and allegedly shoved her while outside the establishment, causing her to fall and hit her head.
