Doormen fired for ignoring protocol during attack on Asian woman
NEW YORK (PIX11) — Two Manhattan doormen have lost their jobs after coming under scrutiny for appearing to not do enough to help when an Asian woman was viciously attacked outside the Midtown building, according to representatives for the building's owner.
The Brodsky Organization completed their investigation Tuesday into the door staff members' response to the incident that made national headlines.
"While the full lobby video shows that once the assailant had departed, the doormen emerged to assist the victim and flag down an NYPD vehicle, it is clear that required emergency and safety protocols were not followed. For this reason, their employment has been terminated, effective immediately," the company's representatives said in a statement.
The two doormen were originally suspended pending the joint investigation with their union.
The company also said Tuesday they were "committed to implementing a comprehensive retraining of building services staff companywide regarding proper emergency response protocols as well as anti-bias awareness and upstander-bystander interventions."
Just last week, the building management company appeared to defend the workers with the release of extended footage that purported to show them ultimately coming to the aid of the 65-year-old Filipino mother after she was assaulted.
While the NYPD said no 911 calls were made, a union rep for the doormen said at the time that they flagged down an NYPD cruiser.
The doormen came under fire when the original, shorter surveillance video appeared to show them look on and even close the door as the woman was shoved to the ground and kicked multiple times on the sidewalk.
According to Brodsky, the workers claimed they did not initially intervene because they saw the assailant pull out a knife.
"There were many times that I wish someone would have stepped in," Elizabeth Kari wrote in reaction to the initial security video of the attack that went viral.
Kari's mother was on her way to church near West 43rd Street and Ninth Avenue on Monday morning when she was approached by the suspect, who suddenly punched and kicked her, causing her to fall. The suspect continued to kick her multiple times while she was on the ground, officials said. Law enforcement sources said the suspect told the victim, “You don’t belong here,” before fleeing the scene.
Brandon Elliot was arrested March 31 for the attack. Elliot, a convicted felon who was out on parole, was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime in the second degree and one count of attempted assault as a hate crime in the first degree, according to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.