by GISSELE GONZALEZ
Staff Writer
A 67-year-old Asian woman was punched 125 times and spit on while entering her apartment building in Yonkers, New York. The victim entered her apartment Friday evening when a 42-year-old man identified as Tammel Esco walked past her and called her an “Asian B*tch.” Security camera footage captured Esco coming up behind and attacking her. Esco punched her 125 times, stomped on her 7 times, and spit on her.
Esco is in custody, without bail on one count of attempted murder and one count of assault as a hate crime. The unidentified woman is reported to be in stable condition and remains hospitalized. She suffered “multiple contusions and lacerations to her head and face, facial bone fractures, and bleeding on the brain,” according to Yonkers Police Department.
This case is a part of an increase in attacks on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in New York. There was a reported 339% increase in anti-AAPI hate crimes in major U.S. cities compared to 2021. In New York City, the number of reported hate crimes against Asian Americans jumped from 30 in 2020 to 133 in 2021.
In a national report, Stop AAPI Hate documented over 10,300 self-reported anti-AAPI incidents from Mar. 19 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021. The report also highlights how 62% of hate incidents were reported by women.