Parolee convicted of killing his mother charged with brutal assault of Asian-American woman in NYC

Brandon Elliot has been charged following his brutal attack on an Asian-American woman in NYC, the latest in a rise of assaults on Asian people - leading to nationwide protests.
Brandon Elliot has been charged following his brutal attack on an Asian-American woman in NYC, the latest in a rise of assaults on Asian people - leading to nationwide protests. Photo credit: NYPD

A parolee convicted of killing his mother nearly two decades ago has been arrested over the brutal attack an Asian-American woman in midtown Manhattan on Monday (local time).

Surveillance footage captured a man kicking the 65-year-old woman to the ground and stomping on her several times while yelling anti-Asian rhetoric, police said. Sources told CBS New York he also told the woman, "you don't belong here", before fleeing the scene of the attack, which occurred outside an apartment building near Times Square.

After a number of tip-offs, Brandon Elliot, 38, was apprehended by New York City police at a nearby homeless shelter. 

Elliot was charged early on Wednesday (local time) with two counts of felony assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, assault and attempted assault, according to local media. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison, the district attorney's office said.

In 2002, a then-19-year-old Elliot was convicted of stabbing his mother to death in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. He was released from prison in 2019 and is on lifetime parole.

Authorities had been offering a reward of US$2500 for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the assault. According to local media, there has been no word on whether the money will be awarded or to whom.

The victim has since been identified as Vilma Kari, a woman who immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in southeast Asia. She had been walking to a local church at the time of the attack, according to reports.

Kari was discharged from hospital on Tuesday (local time) after receiving treatment for serious injuries.

The assault comes amid escalating concern regarding a spike in attacks on people of Asian descent or ethnicity. A sharp rise in hate crimes against Asian people has been reported in the US and elsewhere around the world, partly attributed to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic fuelling racism - exacerbated by former US President Doanld Trump's use of racially-charged, inflammatory terms such as 'the China virus'. 

The attack on Kari followed another vicious assault in the city on Saturday (local time). According to the NYPD Hate Crimes' Twitter account, a man, believed to be Asian, was punched several times and placed in a chokehold on a busy Manhattan-bound subway train at a station in Brooklyn The man, who fell unconscious, then had his head slammed against a subway seat before the attacker fled. 

Footage of the attack was shared by another passenger on TikTok and has since amassed millions of views. 

Police are working to locate the person responsible for the brutal assault, who remains unidentified. A US$2500 reward is also being offered in this case.

In both incidents, bystanders did nothing to help the victims. 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called Monday's attack "absolutely disgusting and outrageous", saying it was "absolutely unacceptable" that witnesses did not intervene.

"I don't care who you are, I don't care what you do, you've got to help your fellow New Yorker," de Blasio said.

The police department's Asian Hate Crimes Task Force has tweeted footage of Kari's assault, noting the "cold-hearted" security guard outside the apartment building failed to intervene or offer help to the victim. 

The Brodsky Organization, the group responsible for managing the apartment building, released a statement saying a staff member who witnessed the attack - and closed the door on an injured Kari - has been suspended while the incident is under investigation. 

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden's administration announced new actions in a bid to combat the rise in violence against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The moves include reinstating the White House initiative on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, establishing a COVID-19 equity task force, and setting up a Justice Department initiative to respond to anti-Asian violence, CBS New York reports.

According to the organisation Stop AAPI Hate, roughly 3800 hate crimes against Asian Americans have been reported in the US from March 2020 to April 2021. 

Earlier in March, a gunman killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent, in a series of shootings at spas in the Atlanta area. A vigil honouring the victims was held in New York City on Monday night.

Over the weekend, thousands of people took part in protests across the United States to raise awareness about racial discrimination against Asian-Americans.

Parolee convicted of killing his mother charged with brutal assault of Asian-American woman in NYC
Photo credit: Getty Images