An elderly California man died of injuries sustained when he was punched in the face of a suspected robbery prosecutors say they have a history of targeting older Asians.
Pak Ho, 75, an Oakland resident, suffered traumatic brain injury and brain damage after being thrown on the sidewalk by a single punch in Tuesday’s attack. He died on Thursday, and his alleged assailant, Teaunte Bailey, 26, now faces murder charges, police said.
“I am at a loss for words,” Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said in a statement.
“Through our investigation, the OPD found that the suspect has a history of victimization of Asian seniors,” said the chief.
Teaunte Bailey was arrested in Oakland on suspicion of theft and other charges. (Alameda County Sheriff’s Office)
Bailey led the police in a chase after officers identified the suspect’s escape car with surveillance video, according to KPIX 5.
He was eventually arrested and found with the items he had stolen from Ho, the station said. The career criminal’s ankle GPS monitor also placed him at the crime scene.
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In addition to the updated homicide charge under special circumstances, prosecutors accused Bailey of theft and assault on a 72-year-old man in a nursing home in February, KPIX reported.
Baily was released for home supervision in connection with another crime and was convicted of several crimes, the report said.
Last April, he was charged with theft, conspiracy, possession of stolen property, parole violation, children in distress and several charges of destruction of evidence after leading the San Francisco police in a post-theft chase with a child in the car , according to the CBS affiliate.
Corner of Jayne Ave. and Perkins St., Oakland, California (Google Maps screenshot)
“Our elders must be protected, not victims of a deadly attack. I am grateful that our officers were able to respond quickly and arrest Mr. Bailey. The Oakland Police Department will relentlessly pursue those who violate the most vulnerable members of our community,” Chief Armstrong said.
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Oakland leaders said they are investigating whether the attack was a hate crime and connected with a series of crimes against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our police will conduct a full investigation to determine whether this was racially motivated or a crime of opportunity,” Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement on Thursday.
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There were more than 2,800 anti-Asian hate incidents across the country last year, with 126 of them targeting elderly members of the community, according to data released last month by the national coalition Stop AAPI Hate.
President Biden condemned the hateful pattern on Thursday in his first prime-time speech.
“It is wrong, it is not American and it must stop,” Biden said in denouncing the “wicked hate crimes against Americans of Asian origin, who were attacked, persecuted, accused and made scapegoats.”