Investigators in San Francisco are investigating at least three separate attacks on Asian American women in one week.
One of the attacks happened in broad daylight on Friday in San Francisco’s busy North Beach. Witnesses chased down the suspect and police arrested him just a block from the attack,reports NBC Bay Area.
One witness, Libby Staub, said she wondered if the man targeted the young woman because she’s Asian.
“She fell down, and he said something like ‘See, how you like it?’ “Everybody was chasing the guy, because he was running – ” said Staub.
Everyone except the victim who disappeared. Police would like to speak with her. Staub would like to tell her the suspect is in custody and hopes the victim is OK.
“Attacks like this just show that it’s still happening and awareness – like what you’re doing with this interview is important,” said San Francisco Chinatown Asian Business Representative Forrest Liu to NBC Bay Area.
Earlier this week a sedan sped toward her and her boyfriend in the city’s Portola District. A man jumped out and grabbed her Louis Vuitton bag.
“It was two guys coming at me, both with guns,”said Lisa to ABC7. The men fired and she says one of the bullets grazed her boyfriend’s chest. She somehow managed to hang on to her handbag and the men sped away in their vehicle.
Just a few days earlier, a car stopped in front of a 66-year-old Asian woman while she walked to her bus stop.
70-Year-Old Asian American Woman Describes Unprovoked Attack in Chinatown
The Boston Police Department says its Civil Rights Unit is investigating after a woman said she was punched in the eye by a stranger in Chinatown, telling her story during a virtual community meeting to address recent violence in the neighborhood
ByOscar Margain•Published April 21, 2022•Updated onApril 21, 2022at12:29 am
A 70-year-old Asian American woman says she was punched in the eye by a stranger while walking in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood on April 2.
The woman said she never imagined she'd be assaulted in the middle of the day after shopping at a bakery on Harrison Avenue.
The attack left a black eye not only on the victim, but on the community, as well.
"He just walked up and punched," said the woman, who asked not to be identified out of concern for her safety. "My initial reaction was, 'Run away from him as soon as possible,' because I don't want to have a second punch."
The victim described the suspect as a 5-foot-11, middle-aged white man. She claims the attack was unprovoked, leading her to believe it was an instance of hate against the Asian community.
The woman, who has frequented Chinatown for more than 40 years, shared her story Tuesday nightduring a virtual community meetingmeant to address recent violence in the area. She believes it was important to file a report with police.
"If you never report it, then how do they know? They'll never know," she said.
The victim's daughter, who also asked to remain anonymous, said the Asian community tends not to speak up for several reasons, including language barriers, lending to crimes often going unreported.
"Once this had happened to my mother, I had other relatives come forward and share their stories of being insulted, and spit on and assaulted," the daughter said.
"If you don't report it, then you don't have the numbers to prove that it's happening. You can't track it, and if you don't have the numbers and the stats to prove that this is happening, then how are you going to justify the funds that you would need to dedicate resources to address this problem?" she asked.
Those resources could include additional police officers, better street lighting and more surveillance cameras. The cameras found at the place of the assault were either not working or did not get a good look at the suspect.
But even if he's found, the victim said she wouldn't want him to go to jail.
"If I see him, I will forgive him," she said. "I will pray for him."
Boston Police said detectives and the department's Civil Rights Unit are looking into the case. During Tuesday's virtual meeting, police said they will be dedicating more Chinese-speaking officers to the area after the recent string of violence.
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SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Two Asian women in two different neighborhoods are recounting their experience being victims of brazen attacks and robberies. The details of each case illustrate how these crimes can happen anywhere and at any time. Even close to where elected officials like the district attorney live.
A young woman named Lisa recalls the moment a black sedan sped toward her and her boyfriend as they walked through the Portola district earlier in the week. The video shows one of the men in the car grab for Lisa's Louis Vuitton bag.
"It was two guys coming at me, both with guns," said Lisa who shares how shots were fired and shows a photo of her boyfriend's chest which is red where a bullet grazed him. Despite the chaos, Lisa was able to hang onto her handbag and escape as the men quickly ran back to the sedan and speed away.
"My body almost shut down on me because I was really nervous," Lisa said.
What's frightening is just days earlier there was a similar incident in the Outer Sunset. A 66-year-old Asian woman, who doesn't want to be named, was out for a walk last Thursday morning. Surveillance video from a neighbor shows her walking to the bus stop.
"The car just stop in front of me and I said 'WAH!' and he jump out of the car.," said the woman as she shows off her scabbed-over knee.
Warning: This video may be disturbing to some. An elderly Asian man viciously kicked out of his seated walker onto the ground in San Francisco's Tenderloin last year is speaking out with a warning to other seniors, "Old people have to be careful."
Police documents explain the woman was robbed of cash and her cell phone and knocked to the ground. When asked if she thought she was going to die?
"Yeah. He so scary."
In this case the crime happened just a few blocks from District Attorney Chesa Boudin's home and only a few houses down from the one he previously owned.
Boudin has touted overall crime to be down in the city. Statistics from SFPD show robberies up 40% from January 2020 to 2021 in the Taraval district which includes the Outer Sunset.
The 66-year old woman's daughter, Stacey, isn't ready to show her face on camera but she is shocked at how crimes can happen anywhere and is frustrated at what has become of her neighborhood.
She commented on the fact the DA lives so close by.
"He should know better, right?"
We asked Boudin because this crime happened so close to his home one of his loved ones could have been targeted what would he want for the perpetrators?
His office responded via email saying in part he "cares about everyone in San Francisco being and feeling safe, whether they live in his own community or any other."
WARNING: Some details in this story may be disturbing to readers. Discretion is advised.
Grade 9 studentJanice Xiesaid she had just met her friends for lunch Thursday, when an older male student came up behind her, and pushed her.
It was the beginning of an allegedly brutal assault that left the 14-year-old girl unconscious by the stairs atHugh Boyd Secondary Schoolin Richmond, B.C. Xie was hospitalized.
Still in pain, with a swollen eye, she told Global News on Friday, he alleged attacker needs to “smarten up,” because rumours aren’t always true.
“I hope that nothing like this happens to anyone else,” she said, sitting next to her father, Tim Sorenson. “Just because you hear something doesn’t mean it’s real.”
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Richmond RCMP are investigating an alleged assault a local secondary school. Grade 9 student Janice Xie, seen here on Thurs. April 21, 2022, said an older student beat her unconscious that day at Hugh Boyd Secondary School in Richmond, B.C.
Xie said the older student believed she spread a rumour about feelings between him and another girl. It was confusing, she added, because she hadn’t really spoken to him before and had no idea who he liked.
After he reportedly pushed her, Xie said he followed her, while her friends tried to hold him back. Eventually, the group sat down to eat by the school’s main stairs.
That’s when he came running, she said.
“My friends were trying to hold him back but they couldn’t hold him back. I tried to defend myself but I got knocked out. I don’t remember what happened after that.”
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Father and son speak out after teen with autism attacked – Jan 28, 2022
Xie said she knows she was punched in the side of the head and her friends told her the student kept kicking and punching her after she passed out. When she woke up, she said she was still by the stairwell, surrounded by teachers and first responders.
“I was really scared, I couldn’t breathe, I was hyperventilating,” she said.
“Knowing I passed out and he was still attacking me, and it happened in school — it’s scary thinking about that, and thinking about going back to school.”
Xie said teachers called 911 and did their best to write down what had happened before paramedics took her to the hospital. They did not, however, call Xie’s parents right away, according to her father.
Sorenson said he was working from his home office, when his wife began receiving text messages from Xie’s friends, telling her what happened about an hour after the alleged assault. They also got a call from Xie’s younger sister.
“We got the call dropped everything, got in the car, and went to the school,” he said. “When I see her laying there on the ground … So many thoughts were going through my head. At that point I was just infuriated.”
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Nanaimo teen being hailed a hero after rescuing woman buried in avalanche
Sorenson said understands the school staff may have been busy in the moment, but he should have received a call sooner.
“How is it that we can fix this?” he asked. “The one person (at the school) that I did talk to, he said that the staff was busy trying to retrieve the boy and also deal with all the other students.”
In an emailed statement, the Richmond School District No. 38 did not address the gap between the alleged attack and contact with Xie’s parents. It confirmed the male student is not attending school at this time and Richmond RCMP are investigating the incident.
“As outlined in theRichmond School District Code of Conduct, the Board of Education recognizes its obligation to all members of the school community to provide a positive climate and a safe, healthy environment,” wrote David Sadler, director of communications and marketing, in the statement.
“To that end, it is expected that all members of the school community will conduct themselves in an ethical and lawful manner that demonstrates respect for self, others, property and the environment.”
Sadler said the district is in regular communication with Xie’s parents, is providing additional counselling to the school community, and will continue to ensure the district’s code of conduct, regulations and guidelines are implemented.
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VPD investigate ‘sensitive case’ involving teen near Vancouver Secondary School – Mar 31, 2022
In its own written statement, Richmond RCMP said it cannot provide details on an alleged assault at a local secondary school due to the nature of the investigation, including privacy issues under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
“We recognize the potential impact a situation like this can have within the school community,” wrote Cpl. Adriana O’Malley.
“We want to assure the public we are working in conjunction with the Richmond School District to ensure the safety and well-being of those directly involved as well as the overall school community.”
Xie, meanwhile, said her CT scan at the hospital is clear and she will spend several days resting and icing her head and face so the swelling goes down. She’s been cleared to go back to school on Monday, but said she may need more time.
Sorenson said he’s proud of his daughter’s courage and composure throughout the incident.
“I’m just really happy that she is the kind of person she is because she’s not an instigator, and she’s definitely a tough one, that’s for sure,” he told Global News.
“I’m still upset completely about the whole thing, so I really want her to feel safe at school, and I want my other daughter to feel safe at the same school. I hope there can be some way to make it more safe at the school for all the kids.”
Deputies in Erie County near Buffalo announced the arrest of a man accused of screaming racial slurs at a petite Asian American woman and then hitting her with a pool cue, reports WKBW.
The arrest of 46-year-old Charles Vacanti follows a month-long investigation of the March 19 incident in a bar.
According to the Buffalo News, Vacanti is accused of striking the victim and directing racial epithets at her. He faces one count of felony assault with intent to cause injury with a weapon as a hate crime and a misdemeanor count of criminal possession of a weapon with intent to use.
MInvestigators say five witnesses helped them to build their case against Vacanti.
Erie County Sheriff John Garcia described the victim as just five feet tall. Vacanti is 5’7″ and weighs 270 pounds.He told WGRZthat size difference gives you a good idea of the severity of the injuries. The DA’s officesaid to WRENthat she received stitches for a cut to the upper lip and
“They did not know each other. Now how they came about the altercation, that’s something I’d rather not comment on right now. What I could tell you is prior to the defendant striking the victim, he did use some racial slurs and then struck the victim,” Garcia said.
He says alcohol may have fueled the altercation. Garcia’s family says he’s a good man.
“He’s a great kid, he’s a hard worker he wasn’t raised to be nasty, and from what I understand he defended himself against this woman,” said Vacanti’s father to WGRZ.
Vacanti is out of jail on his own recognizance. The judge did issue a protective order for the victim.
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