NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — An NYPD detective says the department did not receive any 911 calls regarding Monday’s brutal attack on an Asian-American woman in Manhattan.
Despite the fact that surveillance footage showed several people witnessed a 65-year-old woman being brutally beaten in front of a building in Hell’s Kitchen, NYPD Detective Michael Rodriguez said at a press conference on Wednesday that there “were no 911 calls.”
The detective notes that patrol officers came upon the woman after the assault, and a search for her attacker began.
The news came hours after 38-year-old Brandon Elliot was arrested early Wednesday morning and charged with attempted assault as a hate crime, assault as a hate crime, assault and attempted assault.
Police say he was living at a homeless shelter near the scene of the attack. He was arrested at the shelter without issue Wednesday morning.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea later revealed that Elliot was a convicted murderer who killed his mother and was imprisoned for 17 years before being released on lifetime parole in 2019.
The commissioner slammed the attack as “disgusting,” saying hate is not tolerated in New York City.
“The individual we have arrested in this horrific case – 38-year-old Brandon Elliot – is charged with a completely unprovoked, violent attack on an innocent, defenseless woman,” Commissioner Shea said. “Let me reiterate: We will never accept or tolerate hate or violence of any kind in our great city. It goes against every fiber of who we are.”
The attack happened around 11:40 a.m., in broad daylight as the victim was walking to church, police officials noted.
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance says the attacker also made clear anti-Asian statements.
“Mr. Elliot is accused of brutally shoving, kicking and stomping a 65-year-old mother to the ground after telling her she didn’t belong here," Vance said. "So, let me join the commissioner in being clear, this brave woman belongs here. Asian-American New Yorkers belong here. Everyone belongs here.”
He condemned hate crimes in New York and noted that Elliot, if convicted, will face up to 25 years in prison, as well as other consequences related to his lifetime parole.
The 65-year-old victim was hospitalized with serious injuries as a result of the attack.
Additionally, the attack sparked outrage when surveillance footage from inside the building showed what appeared to be building workers witnessing at least part of the attack.
The video showed one man inside the building lobby watching the beating before two more men walk into the frame to join him. One is then seen closing the building’s front door as the woman lays on the ground.
The property manager, Brodsky Organization, issued a statement saying staff who witnessed the assault have been suspended pending an investigation and are also working to identify a third-party delivery vendor who was present during the attack "so that appropriate action can be taken."
“The Brodsky Organization condemns all forms of discrimination, racism, xenophobia and violence against the Asian American,” the Brodsky Organization said in a statement posted to Instagram. “The staff who witnessed the attack have been suspended pending an investigation in conjunction with their union.”
SEIU 32BJ President Kyle Bragg said the incident is under investigation, including the role of the door staff who are members of the union.
"The information we have at the moment is that the door staff, members of SEIU 32BJ, called for help immediately," Bragg said. "The staff in question has been suspended pending further investigation. Our union is working to get further details for a more complete account, and urge the public to avoid a rush to judgment while the facts are determined."
Mayor Bill de Blasio commented on the workers’ actions, saying they had an obligation to help and did not.
"To see a security guard standing nearby and not intervening, absolutely unacceptable," de Blasio said. "Look I don't care who you are, I don't care what you do, you've got to help your fellow New Yorker."
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