NYPD makes arrest in assault of elderly Asian American woman

The New York Police Department (NYPD) on Wednesday said they have arrested a suspect in an assault of a 65-year-old Asian American woman that happened on Monday.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Twitter that Brandon Elliot was arrested and charged with the assault.

Elliot was a parolee out on supervised release, Shea said.

⚠️ ARRESTED

Brandon Elliot, a parolee out on supervised release, has been arrested & charged w/ this brutal assault.

Great work by your @NYPDDetectives, identifying & apprehending the assailant, all within 48 hrs — always seeking justice for victims. https://t.co/NVdIO8WVhD

— Commissioner Shea (@NYPDShea) March 31, 2021

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Unit said in a separate tweet that Elliot was charged with a felony hate crime.

Thanks to assistance from the public and excellent investigative work by @NYPDHateCrimes Detectives, the individual wanted for Monday’s assault of a 65 year-old Asian female, at 360 West 43rd St, was arrested and charged with Felony Assault as a Hate Crime. pic.twitter.com/ZQRVGZEAb2

— NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes) March 31, 2021

In a statement shared with The Hill, the NYPD said that Elliot, 38, was arrested at 1:10 a.m. on Wednesday. He was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, assault and attempted assault.

NBC 4 New York reported that Elliot was convicted of murdering his mother in 2002. He was on lifetime parole after being released from prison in 2019.

Video circulated by NYPD of Monday’s attack showed the woman being approached by a man outside of a building in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. He then knocks her to the ground before kicking her repeatedly. The NYPD said that he “made anti-Asian statements” as he was kicking her. 

Several employees at the apartment building where the incident occurred were suspended for failing to intervene as the attack took place. 

The incident occurred at a time when violence against Asian Americans has spiked amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The attack happened less than a month after a shooting at three Atlanta-area spas left eight dead, including six Asian women.