A man caught on video surveillance punching an elderly Asian woman over 100 times and stomping on her body has been indicted on multiple hate crime charges.
Tammel Esco, 42, was indicted on attempted murder in the second degree as a hate crime, attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree as a hate crime, assault in the first degree, three counts of assault in the second degree as a hate crime and three counts of assault in the second degree, CNN reported.
He was arraigned on the indictment Tuesday.
Esco pleaded not guilty, a spokeswoman for Westchester District Attorney’s office confirmed. He’s being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on August 2.
Graphic surveillance video of the incident released by police shows the brutal March 11 attack that happened in Yonkers, New York. The 67-year-old woman, who is of Filipino descent, allegedly walked past Esco, and that is when he called her “Asian b*tch” shortly before the attack.
Footage also shows the woman walking into her apartment building vestibule and putting her keys in the door as Esco comes behind her and punches her in the head, knocking her to the ground.
Esco punched her more than 100 times, while she was on the ground and stomped on her body repeatedly before spitting on her, according to the felony complaint.
The woman suffered brain bleeding, multiple facial fractures, and other injuries, prosecutors said.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of people in the US have been victims of anti-Asian cases, including both verbal abuse and physical attacks.
