A man who punched an elderly 67-year-old Asian woman 125 times has pleaded guilty to hate crime.
Tammel Esco, 42, was caught on CCTV viciously attacking the Asian woman in New York, in the US, on March 11 after calling the woman an “Asian b****."
He had waited for her to enter the building of her flat on Riverdale Avenue when he punched her to the ground.
Tammel then continued the avalanche of violence on the 67-year-old by attacking her more than 125 times around the head.
The victim was then stamped on and spat on, according to the district attorney's office.
Video footage from the victim's apartment was shown to the court which saw Yonkers Police Commissioner John J. Mueller describe it as “one of the most appalling attacks I have ever seen.”
The defenceless woman was only found when a witness called 911 after seeing him punch the woman multiple times.
Yvette Crespo, an eyewitness at the scene, told NBC New York, Tammel only stopped the attack when she started knocking on the door and distracted him from his violence.
She said: "I started knocking on the door, and when I did that it caught his attention, and that's when he got off of her.
"He went out that door, went to the corner, put his hands up."
The Yonkers Police Department arrived at the scene after the 911 call from Yvette and he was shortly arrested after the scene - which was captured on the officers bodycams.
It was revealed Tammy had lived in the same building as the victim and previously served time for assault after admitting his guilt.
Westchester County District Attorney’s office confirmed Tammel pleaded guilty today to first-degree assault hate crime, which is a violent felony.
He is due to be sentenced on November 29 to seventeen and a half years in state prison along with five years of supervision once he is released.
Tammel was arrested on the day of the attack and has remained without bail ever since the horror attack.
According to police, he had been arrested fourteen times previously and spent time in jail in 2010 for stabbing someone.
The district attorney's office confirmed at the time the elderly lady was rushed to to Westchester Medical Center where she was treated for a bleed on her brain, a number of facial fractures, and bruising and cuts to her head and face.
Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah said: "Today’s agreement secures justice for the brave victim who endured the shocking attack and its aftermath, and for a community impacted by the trauma of this hate-driven violence."
