Bronx business owner stabbed multiple times, perp on the loose: NYPD

BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) -- Friends and relatives of 70-year-old Kang Hwan Yoo say he remains in the hospital on a ventilator and in critical condition. 

It has been two weeks since police say a man walked into Yoo’s beauty supply shop on White Plains Road in the Bronx and stabbed him repeatedly in the stomach with a knife during an attempted robbery. 

"We want safety! Do not care if the perpetrator is mentally ill or not! We do not want to be killed!” Said Terrance Park, President of the Asian Voters Alliance. 

Members of the Korean American Association of Greater New York joined elected officials, Yoo’s friends, and longtime customers in front of the shop Friday to express their outrage over this incident, and two other robberies. All committed during over two and a half hours on Friday, Dec. 15. 

Police say it is the same suspect in a gray hoodie, that just 15 minutes earlier stole $200 from the register inside an African restaurant a block and a half up on White Plains Road. 

Two hours before that, he threatened the owner of this dry cleaner on Nereid Avenue with a knife, and also stole $6 from the register, and walked out; police said. 

“Sadly, this incident is not an isolated one. Rather it is an alarming trend. We cannot turn a blind eye to this rising tide of violence,” said Kwang Kim, President of the Korean American Association of Greater NY. 

“In the absence of finding justice for Mr. Yoo and the family, and the community, it sends a terrible message - that there’s some kind of open season on immigrant entrepreneurs and small business owners like Mr. Yoo. It has been two weeks. It is to find the suspect and send the message That these kinds of attacks will not be tolerated in any way,” said NY State Senator John Liu. 

“Oh my god, I cry. I wanted to come up the block and I could not move my food I was so weak,’ said Dorothy Williams. One of Yoo’s long-time beauty shop customers. “I was so upset. A lot of people upset, doing prayer for him,” said Williams. 

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).