New York attack suspect charged with hate crime

Police identified Brandon Elliot, 38, as the man seen on surveillance video kicking and shouting at a 65-year-old Asian American woman in front of a luxury apartment complex on Monday. Authorities arrested Elliot around midnight on Tuesday at a hotel serving as a homeless shelter. He was on lifetime parole after 16 years in prison for killing his mother in 2002. Police charged him with assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime, assault, and attempted assault. The most serious charge could send him back to prison for 25 years.

What about the bystanders? Video showed a delivery man in the building lobby watching the attack. Two security guards join him and one closes the front door. The apartments’ management company said it suspended the employees until it could investigate why they did not intervene. The New York Times reported that extended footage showed the guards going out to help the woman after the attack. The woman was hospitalized with serious injuries and was discharged on Tuesday.

Dig Deeper: Read Emily Belz’s feature on Asian American Christians responding to increased reports of racist attacks.