Police: Asian woman in New York hit 125 times, called racial slur, man arrested

Yonkers Police Department

Seen here is an image from surveillance video of an attack in which, police say, an Asian woman was stomped on and punched more than 125 times in New York after being called a racial slur.

(CNN) — A New York woman was punched more than 125 times in the head and face and stomped on seven times by a man who had allegedly called her a racial slur, the Yonkers Police Department said in a news release Monday.

The victim, a 67-year-old Asian woman, was returning home Friday evening when she saw the suspect, whom police identified as Tammel Esco, 42, in front of her building. Esco allegedly used the racial slur as she passed him, police said in the release.

Police responded to the scene at around 6:11 p.m. Friday, found Esco outside the apartment building and placed him into custody without incident, according to the release.

He was arraigned in a Yonkers City Court on Saturday and held in custody at Westchester County Jail, the release said.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of people in the U.S. have been victims of anti-Asian incidents, from verbal abuse to physical attacks.

From March 19, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021, a total of 10,905 hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander people were reported to Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that tracks reports of racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

In the Friday incident, the victim ignored Esco and entered the vestibule of her apartment building, according to police. But as she attempted to open the second door to enter the lobby, Esco allegedly approached her from behind and punched her in the head, knocking her to the floor, the release said.

In surveillance video of the assault, a man identified by police as Esco is seen punching a woman in both the head and face more than 125 times and then stomping her with his foot seven times. Police said he then spat on her.

The woman suffered multiple contusions and lacerations to her head and face, facial bone fractures, and bleeding on the brain, according to the news release. She was taken to a trauma center and was listed in stable condition, according to police.

Esco is charged with two felonies — attempted murder and assault in the second degree involving a victim 65 or older — online court records show. Each count is charged as a hate crime, according to the release.

His next court date is slated for March 25.

Yonkers is a city of more than 211,000 people in the New York City suburbs, about 17 miles north of Manhattan.