Brandon Elliot Faces Judge In Brutal Attack On 65-Year-Old Vilma Kari, As Leaders Rally Against Anti-Asian Violence

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The man accused of attacking a 65-year-old Asian woman in Hell’s Kitchen is expected to face a judge Monday.

His court appearance comes as more Asian leaders rally against the violence.

As CBS2’s Christina Fan reported, there were angry chants outside Manhattan Criminal Court, where Brandon Elliot was set to appear in front of a judge.

The 38-year-old homeless man, who was out on parole for killing his own mother, is accused of viciously attacking the woman last month.

“I call for all my New York City fellow citizens to stand up to say ‘no’ to the crimes,” one protester said Monday.

(Credit: NYPD)

Police said Elliot kicked 65-year-old Vilma Kari to the ground and stomped on her while making anti-Asian statements. He was charged with two counts of felony assault as a hate crime, among other crimes.

Protesters not only called for justice Monday, but also for safer streets.

“It makes absolutely no sense to release somebody who killed his own mother and let him walk free in the streets with little or no follow-up or social services,” one person said. “Where was the parole officer?”

Meanwhile, police are investigating yet another possible hate crime from Saturday morning.

Officers said a 27-year-old Asian employee was trying to stop a man from stealing at a 7-Eleven near Port Authority. The suspect allegedly punched him and hurled an anti-Asian slur.

“It’s a tragedy, because I think nobody should be living in fear. As Asians ourselves, I can personally attest to — walking on the streets these days, it adds to an extra level of anxiety that I haven’t felt before,” Siqi Zhao said.

Police said there had been 33 anti-Asian hate crime victims this year through March 28, compared to 11 during the same period last year.

A group of Asian candidates spoke at another rally Monday, saying putting a stop to the racist attacks is one reason they’re running for office.

“New York City is everyone’s city. The city is for everyone, and there’s no one who should be walking the streets in fear, particularly based upon the way that they look of the color of their skin,” said New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang.

The candidates said another reason is because representation matters.

In many of the recent attacks, the suspects yelled that the victims do not belong in this country. So the crowd said they want people to know they belong and they are American, too.

CBS2’s Christina Fan contributed to this report.

source https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/04/05/brandon-elliot-anti-asian-attack-court-appearance/