(CNN) — A New York woman was punched more than 125 times in the head and face and stomped on seven times by a man who had allegedly called her an “Asian b*tch,” the Yonkers Police Department said in a news release Monday.
The victim, a 67-year-old Asian woman, was returning home Friday evening when she saw the suspect, whom police identified as Tammel Esco, 42, in front of her building. Esco allegedly used the racial slur as she passed him, police said in the release.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of people in the US have been victims of anti-Asian incidents, from verbal abuse to physical attacks.
From March 19, 2020, to December 31, 2021, a total of 10,905 hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander people were reported to Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that tracks reports of racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
In the Friday incident, the victim ignored Esco and entered the vestibule of her apartment building, according to the police. But as she attempted to open the second door to enter the lobby, Esco allegedly approached her from behind and punched her in the head, knocking her to the floor, the release said.
The department provided surveillance a video of the assault.
In it, a man is seen punching a woman in both the head and face more than 125 times and then stomping her with his foot seven times. Police said he then spat on her.
The woman suffered multiple contusions and lacerations to her head and face, facial bone fractures, and bleeding on the brain, according to the news release. She was taken to a trauma center and is listed in stable condition, according to police.
