A man who was caught on security video randomly attacking an Asian woman inside her apartment building was handed a lengthy prison sentence by a judge on Tuesday, CNN reports.
Security video that went viral showed Tammel Esco, 42, following the woman into the vestibule of her building and striking her in the head from behind. After she hit the floor, he proceeded to viciously punch her more than 100 times and then stomp her body with his foot. He also spat on her. Prosecutors say Esco called the woman an “Asian b*tch” shortly before the attack.
“Today we close a chapter on one of the most violent and shocking hate crimes that we’ve seen in Westchester County,” Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah said in a news conference.
Esco pleaded guilty in September to assault in the first degree as a hate crime based on an agreement with prosecutors. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 17.5 years in state prison and will be subject to five years of post-release supervision. The incident took place on March 11.
Believe it or not, this is the second worst video I saw this week. This man, by the name of Tammel Esco, punched this old Asian lady 125 times. Fortunately he has been caught and charged with attempted murder. #StopAsianHate #racism #NewYork pic.twitter.com/SHq3q5Oh2X
— oil prince (@constantlydizzy) March 16, 2022
“Because of the viciousness and hate of Tammel Esco, I lost the place I called home for over 24 years, the place where I raised my daughters, and my longtime neighbors … As the attack happened, all I could think was, ‘Please Lord let me live, please Lord my daughters need me,’” the woman, who is 67-years-old and of Filipino descent, said in her victim impact statement.
“A complete stranger heartlessly spit, beat and kicked me over 100 times just because of my heritage … My only hope is that God and the criminal justice system will see fit to make sure this never happens to any other innocent family again,” the woman added.
Watch ABC7NY’s report on the story below:
