According to the Associated Press, Young was arrested after posting videos of himself pepper spraying and harassing women online. He declared himself an “incel,” or member of an online community of men who call themselves “involuntary celibates.” The incels’ primary source of rage is the perceived failure of women to provide them with sex. This anger is fomented in the community itself, which encourages stalking, harassment, violence, and sexual assault, and amplified by its crossovers with other authoritarian groups, like right-wing political extremists and anti-LGBTQ groups.
Police officials have been searching for Young for months, as he was suspected of confronting female victims outside of bars in Costa Mesa and assaulting several in attacks between November 2021 and April 2022.
“These charges send a very strong message to that entire community that we will not tolerate violence against women in any form,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
Young’s charge comes the same day a New York man pleaded guilty to a hate crime, months after he attacked an elderly Asian woman by hitting her more than 125 times. Identified as 42-year-old Tammel Esco, the man pleaded guilty to assault in the first degree as a hate crime, the Westchester District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Esco was arrested in March after authorities reviewed surveillance video that showed him stomping on the woman several times and spitting on her as she lay helpless.
The victim suffered brain bleeding, multiple facial fractures, bruising, and lacerations to her head and face in an incident the Yonkers police commissioner described as one of the most appalling assaults he had ever seen.
According to police, moments before the assault, Esco not only used derogatory language against the woman, including calling her an “Asian bitch,” but also followed her into her building, Daily Kos reported.
“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,” District Attorney Miriam Rocah said on Tuesday.
As part of an agreement with the prosecution, Esco will be sentenced to 17.5 years in prison with five years of post-release supervision at a hearing scheduled Nov. 29.
I’m a journalist who specializes in investigative reporting and writing. I have written for the New York Times and other publications.