(Trends Wide)– An Asian New York woman was punched more than 125 times in the head and face, in addition to seven stomping feet, by a man who allegedly called her an “Asian b***h,” the Yonkers Police Department said in a press release. this Monday.
The 67-year-old victim was returning home late Friday night when she saw the suspect, whom police identified as 42-year-old Tammel Esco, outside her building. Esco allegedly used the racial slur when she walked past him, police said in the statement.
A surveillance video image provided by the Yonkers Police Department shows the attack that occurred Friday.
Since the covid-19 pandemic began, thousands of people in the US have been victims of anti-Asian incidents, from verbal abuse to physical attacks.
Incidents against the Asian population
From March 19, 2020 to December 31, 2021, a total of 10,905 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that tracks reports of racism and discrimination against these populations.
In Friday’s incident, the victim ignored Esco and entered the lobby of his apartment building, according to police. But when she tried to open the second door to enter the lobby, Esco allegedly came up behind her and punched her in the head, knocking her to the ground, according to the statement.
The department provided surveillance video of the assault.
The footage shows a man punching a woman in both the head and face more than 125 times and then stomping on her seven times. Police said he then spat on him.
The woman suffered multiple contusions and lacerations to her head and face, facial bone fractures and bleeding to the brain, according to the news release. She was taken to a care facility and is in stable condition, according to police.
Police responded to the scene around 6:11 pm Friday, found Esco outside the apartment building and took him into custody without incident, according to the release.
Crimes against suspect in attack on Asian woman
The suspect was arraigned in a Yonkers city court on Saturday and remains in custody at the Westchester County Jail, according to the release.
Esco faces two felony charges: attempted murder and second-degree assault involving a victim age 65 or older, online court records show.
Each charge is being charged as a hate crime, according to the statement.
His next court date is scheduled for March 25.
Trends Wide has reached out to the Westchester County Legal Aid Society, which represents Esco, for comment. However, he has not received a response.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said in the statement that he hopes the suspect will be charged to the fullest extent possible for his “heinous actions.”
“Hate crimes are beyond intolerable in our city,” the mayor said.
Yonkers is a city of more than 211,000 people in the suburbs of New York City, about 17 miles north of Manhattan.
“This is one of the most heinous attacks I have ever seen. Hitting a defenseless woman is despicable and targeting her because of her race is even more so,” Yonkers Police Commissioner John J. Mueller said in the statement. “This defendant should receive the maximum punishment allowed by law to send a clear message that violent and hateful behavior will not be tolerated in our communities.”
