Police: Manhattan man arrested for vicious attack on Asian woman

An arrest has been made in connection to a violent attack on an Asian woman in Manhattan.

News 12 Staff

Mar 31, 2021, 10:06 AM

Updated 1,281 days ago

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An arrest has been made in connection to a violent attack on an Asian woman in Manhattan.
Police say 38-year-old Brandon Elliot is the man seen in a video kicking a 65-year-old woman to the ground and continuing to attack her as she was laying on the ground.
Police say he also made anti-Asian statement toward her during the attack.
She was taken to the hospital with what police say was a serious physical injury.
The NYPD says the Manhattan man has been charged with attempted assault as a hate crime, two counts of assault as a hate crime, assault and attempted assault.
News 12 has learned that he was arrested around 1 a.m. with help from a tip from the Crime Stoppers hotline.
The NYPD says Elliot is not a stranger to the department.
He was arrested in 2002 in connection to the fatal stabbing of his mother in the Bronx.
Police say he was released on parole in 2019.
Activists gathered together in front of the building where she was attacked Tuesday to denounce attacks aimed at the Asian community.
They say part of the reason they are so angry is that witnesses from a building saw the attack on the elderly Asian woman, but did nothing to help.
Jo-Ann Yoo, of the Asian American Federation, says the video is hard to watch.
“That woman could be our mothers, sisters, daughters, but I don’t want you to look away from what we have been living with,” Yoo says. “The Asian community has been living with for the last 13 months.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio is calling on New York City residents to report any hate crimes they see.
“The crucial need for every case, whether someone regards it as a small act or major act, is to report it,” de Blasio says. “Go to nyc.gov/stopasianhate, report anything you see so the NYPD can act.”
The union that represents the workers seen in the video say they have been suspended pending further investigation.
They say the workers did call for help immediately, and are asking people to avoid rushing to judgement until all of the facts are determined.