WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY – A New York man with a long criminal history is under arrest on Attempted Murder as a Hate Crime for viciously assaulted an elderly mother of two from the Philippines after calling her a racial slur, police say.
Tammel Esco, 42, allegedly called the 67 year-old victim a slur as she was attempting to walk into the Yonkers apartment building they both reside in on March 11, according to authorities; she reportedly ignored him and continued inside.
However, once she entered the vestibule and was attempting to unlock the inner door, Esco is seen on surveillance video following her inside, at which time he begins a horrifically violent and completely unprovoked attack upon the victim. Esco, according to police, punched the woman 125 times, kicked her seven times, and then spat on her twice while calling her anti-Asian slurs.
Witnesses say that after the assault, Esco walked back outside and began screaming incoherently at people as they walked by on the street.
Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller noted that police were called about the incident, and officers arrived on the scene quickly and placed Esco under arrest; the suspect will be facing serious charges in connection with the incident, Mueller said.
“We’re gonna file this as a hate crime, and we’re charging attempted murder based on the number of strikes and the length of the attack,” he said, adding that the victim is seriously injured but in stable condition, and is expected to face a long recovery.
The suspect has a long criminal history, spanning 14 arrests and multiple convictions for a variety of offences, including pushing a woman through a plate glass window in 2021 – for which he served no jail time – and a 2010 stabbing which he served 42 months in prison.
According to DailyMail.com, police have refused to release the residence’s address where tenants say they feel ‘unsafe’ in the building and there are ‘never-ending problems’ there.
Esco is being held without bail.
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