Looking for a Good Samaritan: “a man I’d never seen before had run up and punched me in the face. While I stood there in shock, a bystander quickly intervened”

“Dear PoPville,

Last Monday (5/30, Memorial Day), around 11am, I was walking south on 8th street. At either the 8th and H or 8th and I NW intersection, a few blocks from the Chinatown/Gallery Place metro, I was looking at my phone while waiting for the walk sign to appear. All of a sudden, I felt an impact to my jaw–a man I’d never seen before had run up and punched me in the face. While I stood there in shock, a bystander quickly intervened, putting himself between me and the person who had attacked me. He told me to get away and call the police and started shouting and following the person who attacked me. Meanwhile, the person who attacked me was still shouting at me. Because of this bystander, I was able to get away without further harm.

I’m an East Asian woman, and because of the rise in violence against women who look like me, I can’t help but feel that I was targeted at least in part because of my race and gender.

However, I don’t have any evidence of this beyond a gut feeling–I was so shocked and confused after being assaulted that I couldn’t understand anything that my attacker was yelling at me–so the police are reluctant to investigate this as a hate incident. I’m hoping that connecting with the samaritan will provide more information as to the attacker’s motive. I also want to say thank you to the samaritan and ask if he’s okay.

My memory of the incident is so hazy (probably my brain attempting to erase the trauma), but I believe the samaritan was a tall white man with a bigger/stronger build, either light colored hair or short hair (maybe even bald). I’m so bad at estimating ages but I’d say he was anywhere between mid thirties to mid forties. There were two other bystanders who didn’t intervene–a white man and white woman (maybe a couple) in their 40s or 50s. I’m in my mid-20s, have a smaller build, and was wearing a red dress that day, if that helps jog anyone’s memory!”

If you are the good Samaritan please email me at [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP. Thank you. And thank you.