Police said that after the attack captured in viral security images, the suspect attacked a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, pushing them to the ground.
Oakland Police Department
California police arrested a man suspected of injuring three Asian Americans after security footage of an attack on a 91-year-old man in Oakland’s Chinatown went viral.
Yahya Muslim, 28, was charged Tuesday with assault, battery and elder abuse, according to documents obtained by CBS San Francisco. He also faces additional charges of “special allegation” for breaking the law on bail.
The attacks came shortly after noon on January 31. Police said that after the attack captured in the viral security video, Muslim went on to attack a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, pushing them to the ground. causing the woman to lose consciousness.
Muslim was already in police custody on unrelated charges when he was arrested for the attacks. According to prison records, Muslim was placed under psychiatric imprisonment and treated at a hospital before being served at Santa Rita prison on February 1.
OPD thanks our community for providing information that led to a person of interest in this case. Investigators determined that that person has been in custody since February 1 in an unrelated case. Investigators are working hard to refer this case to the prosecutor’s office for review and collection. https://t.co/qlcb7OvMCd
Attacks against Asian Americans have increased across the country, with many blaming ex-President Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric on coronavirus, which he often calls the “China virus” or “kung flu”.
California, in particular, has seen a disturbing trend in violence against people of Asian descent. On January 28, Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84, a Thai immigrant living in San Francisco, was killed after being thrown to the ground by a 19-year-old who was later charged with murder and abuse of the elderly.
Last week, Oakland police announced they were relocating “resources and patrols” to the city’s Chinatown ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations on Friday, following a “recent wave of violent assaults and robberies”.
A video highlighting recent attacks against Asian Americans by activist Amanda Nguyen has been viewed more than 500,000 times on Instagram and Twitter.
South Korean-American actor Daniel Dae Kim tweeted security footage of the attack on the 91-year-old man on Friday and wrote that he and Chinese-American actor Daniel Wu would be offering $ 25,000 to anyone who helped identify the aggressor.
“We need to do more to help literally thousands of Americans who have suffered at the hands of this absolutely senseless violence,” Kim said in an interview with CBS on Tuesday. “We must take a stand and say, ‘no more’.”
The dizzying number of hate crimes against Americans of Asian origin continues to grow, despite our repeated calls for help. The crimes ignored and even dismissed. Remember Vincent Chin. # Enough is enough. @danielwuyanzu and I are offering a $ 25,000 reward. https://t.co/ImXYhzNuRH
On Tuesday, Kim said about Twitter that since no one came forward to claim the money, he would be donating the $ 25,000 reward to organizations that fight racism and anti-Asian violence and encouraged other people to donate as well.