This is the shocking moment an inmate violently punches an Asian woman who is a Los Angeles Sheriff’s custody assistant when she hands him a paper towel.

The detainee physically assaulted the Asian woman at the Inmate Reception Center in the city of Los Angeles, in California, on 5th May.

As can be seen in the footage distributed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, at one moment an inmate known as Arnulfo Meza, 29, started assaulting the 54-year-old Asian female assistant.

The custody assistant handed the detainee some toilet paper when he suddenly punches her three times in the face, knocking her to the floor, where she crashed her back into a medical equipment stand but Meza kept hitting her twice before stepping away and sitting on a gurney.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, an inmate brutally punched a custody assistant after his left hand was unsecured from his waist chain when he asked to use the restroom.

The woman got up and left the room after which she used her radio to call for aid.

A few moments later, numerous sheriff’s employees arrived at the scene and restrained the 29-year-old, who offered no resistance.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said that the inmate, Arnulfo Meza,29, was transported to a high-security area and is pending assault and hate crime charges.

The custody assistant was transported to a local hospital with face and head injuries where she is currently receiving treatment. She remains in stable condition.

According to the information on a Sheriff’s Department jail website, Meza was arrested on suspicion of committing a felony in suburban El Monte city in the County of Los Angeles on Monday night.

This incident is believed to be related to a reported rise in anti-Asian violence across the USA since the coronavirus entered the country after first appearing in China.