A man who ‘viciously and repeatedly’ assaulted an Asian woman in New York City is sentenced to 15 years for the hate crime
By Maria Sole Campinoti and Dalia Faheid, CNN
(CNN) — A man who “viciously and repeatedly” assaulted a 65-year-old Asian woman in New York City in 2021 has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the hate crime attack, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Brandon Elliot, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of assault in the first degree as a hate crime and one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree in December 2023, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr.
In broad daylight in March 2021, Elliot approached the woman on a sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan and yelled, “F**k you, you don’t belong here, you Asian,” before knocking her to the ground and kicking her several times, according to the criminal complaint.
He then threatened an approaching man with a knife and fled the scene, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office.
“Brandon Elliot assaulted a 65-year-old woman because of her Filipino descent,” Bragg said in the release. “This attack has left lasting fear and anxiety for the victim and many in the AAPI community.”
The woman was treated at a New York City hospital, where she suffered a fracture to her pelvis, forehead contusions and contusions to her body, the district attorney’s office said.
CNN has sought comment from Elliot’s attorney.
The incident came at a time when New York and cities across the US were grappling with an increase in reports of attacks against Asian people.
New York agencies reported 140 anti-Asian crimes in 2021, the highest number since reporting began, according to the state’s annual report that year. The New York Police Department also reported a 361% spike in the city’s anti-Asian hate crimes from 2020 to 2021, according to the Asian American Bar Association of New York.
At the time of the attack, Elliot was on parole for stabbing his mother to death, the New York Police Department previously told CNN, and had served 17 years in state prison. He was released on lifetime parole in November 2019.
“I hope the closure of this case will allow the victim to continue healing and moving forward, while also sending a strong message that we will seek full accountability for anyone who commits violence against their fellow New Yorkers because of their race or ethnicity,” Bragg said.
The-CNN-Wire
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