Man faces hate crime charges for temple attacks in NYC's Chinatown
A man is facing charges after allegedly breaking into several temples in New York City's Chinatown and damaging religious statues this week.
Police have charged Taihong Ouyang with a slew of hate crime and burglary charges for his rampage, seemingly targeting places of worship.
Videos allegedly show Ouyang smashing through bulletproof glass, taking out security cameras and using a fire extinguisher to smash a Buddhist statue at different temples.
In total, police say Ouyang is being charged with crimes in connection to six locations across Chinatown, four of which are temples. One of the other two targeted locations is next door to a temple.
Video shows suspect in string of temple attacks in NYC's Chinatown
Surveillance video shows a man in a hoodie early Monday morning repeatedly smashing in the front windows of Grace Gratitude Buddhist Temple.
"When we came down, we saw, you know, it's smashed," senior monk Ben Kong said. "I thought it was terrorism. The way it looks, it looks like a bullet hole."
The suspect left behind a shattered window and a shattered sense of security through Chinatown.
"People were calling us and said their temples were also attacked," Kong said.
Additional video allegedly shows Ouyang at another temple at 158 Henry St., smashing the security cameras. The cameras have seen been repaired with tape, but one is still missing all together.
At Sung Tak Buddhist Temple on Pike Street, surveillance video caught the suspect smashing the hands of one statue, then shattering a smaller one next to it.
"The Buddhist religion is for the whole community, so if he does that, he damages all who believe in Buddhism," Sung Tak Buddhist Temple Master Jie Tong said through a translator.
Another temple managers said she was too afraid to go on camera, worried that the suspect could return one day.
But the support from the religious community has powered them all through the week. Now, they're offering prayers for the one responsible.
"It's very hard once you start bad karma to create good karma," Kong said.
