- A Filipino family said they were taunted and physically attacked last month in the drive-thru of a McDonald's in North Hollywood
- The family said they sustained injuries in the attack
- They demanded a full investigation by police after the suspect was cited and released following the incident, the family's lawyer says
Los Angeles -- An Asian-American family is calling for justice after they were attacked and subjected to threats and racial slurs while in a Los Angeles fast-food restaurant drive-thru last month.
Nerissa Roque, 47, and her daughter Patricia Roque, 19, both of Filipino heritage, were in the drive-thru of a McDonald's on Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood on May 13 when a Jeep bumped them from behind,CBS Newsreported. The two women called 911 and Patricia's father for help.
After the collision, the Jeep's driver, identified later as 31-year-old Nicholas Weber, approached the Roques' car and began shouting racial slurs and speaking in a mocking accent, lawyers for the family toldFox News.
In cellphone footage of the incident, Weber can be heard saying, "You're so Asian" and "I kill you" through open windows.
Patricia told Fox Los Angeles that Weber then allegedly "started hurting my mom by physically choking her and strangling her."
"He was about to hit her, but thankfully my mom deflected the hit, but it hit her chest instead of her face," she continued.
When Patricia's father Gabriel Roque, 62, arrived at the drive-thru, the incident escalated into a physical altercation. The suspect allegedly attacked Gabriel and Nerissa, and the physical dispute left Gabriel with a broken rib and sore arm, the family said.
A bystander got involved and helped subdue the suspect until the police arrived.
"This was the most traumatic experience of our lives. I feared that the suspect would kill us because of what we looked like — because we are Asian," Patricia said in a statement.
"We are demanding a full investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and demand that this case be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," she added.
An attorney for the Roque family, Sandy Roxas, said that Weber was cited by police and released following the incident.
The suspect was scheduled to be arraigned on June 8 but failed to appear, according to CBS News. The case is currently in warrant status.
Activists held a rally Friday outside the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in Van Nuys demanding that the suspect be prosecuted.
“We’re here to hold the government accountable for their lack of response and to demand that District Attorney George Gascon prosecute Nicholas Weber to the fullest extent of the law,” Katie Joaquin, board president of the Filipino Migrant Center, was quoted as saying by theLos Angeles Daily News.
Asian-American Family Attacked, Threatened At LA Fast Food Drive-Thru (ibtimes.com)
