A man arrested for a brutal attack against an Asian woman in Manhattan this week was reportedly out on parole for stabbing his own mother to death in 2002.
Brandon Elliot, 38, who lives in a homeless shelter not far from where the attack occurred, was arrested early Wednesday and charged with assault as a hate crime, police said, according to the New York Post.
“He was caught on video mercilessly punching and kicking the 65-year-old victim in front of an apartment building at 360 West 43rd Street around 11:40 a.m. Monday, yelling ‘F–k you, you don’t belong here,’ according to cops and police sources,” wrote the Post.
Elliot was charged with murder in 2002 for stabbing his mother three times in the chest with a kitchen knife. The attack occurred in front of Elliot’s 5-year-old sister, sources told the Post. His mother died two days later.
Elliot was convicted of murder and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. He was twice denied parole but was released on a lifetime parole in 2019.
New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Dermot Shea condemned Elliot’s release.
“When you’re releasing people from prison and you’re putting them in homeless shelters, you’re asking for trouble,” he said on PIX-11. “There’s got to be a safety net and there’s got to be resources for them. It just never should’ve happened.”
Detectives’ Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo blamed local officials.
“When New York politicians and their parole board think it’s a good idea to release a murderer who killed his mother — they certainly can’t pretend to be surprised he brutally attacked a woman in Midtown,” he told the Post. “It’s about time the City Council, State Assembly, and Governor be held accountable for their irresponsible laws and decisions. New Yorkers are clearly not safe because of them. They need to fix what they broke.”
Lieutenants Benevolent Association President Lou Turco also told the Post: “You can’t make it up. Do we need any more proof that the failed policies of our elected officials are leading to more New Yorkers being injured and killed? When are we going to hold our elected leaders accountable? Reimagine elected officials.”
The unprovoked, broad daylight beating of Vilma Kari who was on her way to church, drew outrage in the city known for violence. Elliot allegedly kicked her in the stomach, knocking Kari down, then stomping on her head several times. He reportedly yelled anti-Asian slurs at her and sneered, “You don’t belong here.”
The attack, which captured on video, drew more outrage when it appeared one of the employees in the building where it occurred shut the door. Several other men standing near the door of the building can also be seen not helping Kari. Staff members at 360 West 43rd Street were subsequently suspended, the Post reported.
Kari, who is Filipino American, suffered a broken pelvis and was taken to the hospital and released the next day.
Elliot is expected to be arraigned in Manhattan criminal court sometime on Wednesday.
The Post cited a resident at the homeless shelter where Elliot was staying, as saying “He told me he was [a] diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. He’s quiet. He doesn’t talk much. He is really paranoid. He has mental issues.”