Aiexpress – A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years in state prison for severely and repeatedly beating a 65-year-old Filipino woman in Midtown Manhattan in 2021.
“Brandon Elliot assaulted a 65-year-old woman because of her Filipino heritage,” stated Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “The victim and many members of the AAPI community have suffered long-term fear and anxiety as a result of this attack.” I hope that the resolution of this case will allow the victim to continue healing and moving forward, while also sending a clear message that we will seek full accountability for anybody who acts violence against their fellow New Yorkers because of their race or ethnicity.”
In December 2023, Elliot pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to one count of assault in the first degree as a hate crime (a Class B felony) and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree (a Class D felony).
On March 29, 2021, Elliot approached the woman on the sidewalk of West 43rd St. between 8th and 9th Avenues and told her, “F-you.” You do not belong here, according to court documents and Elliot’s guilty plea.
He then kicked the woman in the torso, knocking her to the ground, before repeatedly kicking and stomping on her head and body. A passerby attempted to intervene and stop the attack, but Elliot threatened him with a knife and fled the scene.
The woman was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis and contusions on her head and torso.
Elliot was caught two days later as a result of a public tip provided to the New York Police Department’s Crime Stoppers unit.
NYC: Help @NYPDHateCrimes identify this person. They want to speak with him about the assault of a 65-year-old woman, during which anti-Asian comments were made. This occurred shortly before noon today, near West 43rd Street and 9th Avenue.
Elliot was already on lifetime parole and had been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for fatally stabbing his mother in 2002, according to the New York Daily News.
Elliot, then 19, stabbed his mother three times in the chest in front of his five-year-old sister.
During the coronavirus pandemic, reports of hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans increased dramatically. According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, hate crimes against people of Asian descent increased by nearly 150% after health officials traced the virus’s origin to China.
