A man who was captured on camera brutally attacking a 65-year-old Asian American woman who was on her way to church in Midtown Manhattan on Monday morning has been arrested.
Brandon Elliot, 38, was arrested at 1:10 a.m. on Wednesday in Manhattan, the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force said in a statement. He was also charged with felony assault as a hate crime.
Elliot was Convicted of Murdering His Mother in 2002
Police arrested Elliot after offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to his whereabouts. Elliot was identified by residents as a local homeless person, and multiple Crimestoppers tips directed police to a hotel serving as a homeless shelter, eventually leading to his arrest.
Elliot is already on lifetime parole for murdering his mother, according to police. He was convicted of fatally stabbing his mother when he was 19 years old. After serving 17 years in state prison, he was released on lifetime parole in November 2019.
Video footage of the assault, captured by security cameras inside the lobby of a luxury condo, showed Elliot repeatedly kicking the elderly woman in the stomach and stomping on her face on her way to church near New York City's Times Square. According to police, Elliot shouted anti-Asian slurs and told her, "you don't belong here" during the assault. Watch the video footage of the attack below:
The victim suffered from a fractured pelvis and bruising on the left side of her face. She was taken NYU Langone Hospital. She was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday.
Security Guards Suspended for Failing to Intervene
The clip sparked outrage among the AAPI community and intensified calls for an end to crimes against Asians. Hate crimes against Asian-Americans have come under the spotlight after the Atlanta spa shootings, where most of the victims were of Asian descent.
The bystanders in the video, including the condo's security guards, who witnessed the attack but did not come forward to help also drew criticism for failing to help the woman. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also called the video of the attack "absolutely disgusting and outrageous" and said it was "absolutely unacceptable" that the witnesses did not intervene.
The Brodsky Organization, which manages the condo, posted a statement on Instagram addressing the attack. The post said that the company "stands with the AAPI community in condemning racism and violence against Asian-Americans."
The company also noted that it was "working closely with NYPD, elected officials and civic leaders to provide any information and to seek justice" and that management had initiated an investigation against the two lobby staff members and they have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
