New York: A 67-year-old woman in New York was punched over 125 times in the head and face, stomped on seven times and called an ‘Asian b*tch’ by a man who attacked her outside her apartment building, according to police.
The victim, who has not yet publicly been identified, was attacked while trying to enter her apartment building in Yonkers, New York. Surveillance video shows the attacker, identified by police as 42-year-old Tammel Esco, hit the woman from behind and knocking her off her feet.
Moments before the attack, Esco reportedly called the woman an ‘Asian b*tch’ as she walked past him, according to Yonkers Police. After she ignored him, Esco followed her into the entryway of the apartment building where he punched her in the head and face more than 125 times. He then stomped on her upper body about seven times and spit on her, according to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
The frenzied attack left the woman to be treated for serious injuries at a local hospital. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of people in the US have been victims of anti-Asian assaults, ranging from verbal abuse to physical attacks.
Yonkers Police Commissioner John J Mueller called the attack ‘one of the most appalling’ incidents he’s ever seen. ‘To beat a helpless woman is despicable and targeting her because of her race makes it more so,’ Mueller said in a statement Monday.
‘This defendant must be held to the maximum punishment allowed by law to send a clear message that hateful, violent behavior will not be tolerated in our communities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family, that she may make a full recovery.’ The woman is currently in hospital after suffering numerous contusions and lacerations, facial fractures and brain bleeding.
Esco was arrested outside of the building. He has been charged with two felonies — attempted murder and assault in the second degree involving a victim who is 65 or older. Each count has been charged as a hate crime. He is scheduled to appear in court next on March 25.
