A New York man is under arrest for allegedly punching an Asian woman more than 125 times and repeatedly stomping on her in a random attack that police are calling a hate crime.
The vicious assault caught on camera happened in the victim’s building just after 6 p.m. March 11. Tammel Esco, 42, reportedly called the 67-year-old victim an “Asian b—-” as she entered the building’s vestibule, police told FOX 5 New York.
The woman ignored Esco, but he approached her from behind without warning before punching her in the head, knocking her to the ground.
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Video released by Yonkers Police Department shows Esco standing over her, repeatedly punching her in the head and face with alternating strikes, before stomping her several times and then spitting on her.
(Yonkers Police Department)
The woman is seen left on the ground, unable to stand up. Her injuries include multiple contusions and lacerations to her head and face, facial bone fractures and brain bleeding. She was listed in stable condition at a hospital.
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(Yonkers Police Department)
When police arrived, Esco was outside the building and taken into custody.
(Yonkers Police Department)
“He has 14 previous arrests, half of them on felony charges, according to the Yonkers police. He was convicted of assault in 2011, sentenced to just over three years in prison and released on parole after about two and a half years in October 2013, state prison records show,” The New York Times reports.
(Yonkers Police Department)
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Esco is charged with one felony count of attempted murder 2 as a hate crime, and one count of assault 2 as a hate crime, according to online jail records. He was arraigned in Yonkers Criminal Court on March 12 and is being held at the Westchester County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for March 25, according to a press release.
“This is one of the most appalling attacks I have ever seen; to beat a helpless woman is despicable and targeting her because of her race makes it more so,” said Commissioner John J. Mueller. “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.”