Los Angeles County police are investigating a possible hate crime after a suspect drove against a crowd during a “Stop Asian Hate” demonstration on Tuesday.
A man driving the vehicle shouted racial epithets as he drove down the pedestrian path where the protest was taking place, according to ABC News. Los Angeles County sheriff Alex Villanueva said the department is investigating the incident as a potential hate crime.
The video shows protesters trying to cross a crosswalk at Diamond Bar, when a man is heard shouting “F — China” and making a U-turn to pass the intersection where the protesters were walking.
No one was hit by the vehicle and no injuries were reported to the police.
“The boldness of doing this at an anti-hate rally shows the level at which people will go to harass and intimidate communities of color,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn
Janice Kay HahnHispanic Democrats build capital with big wins in the Los Angeles County primaries, a city that will end the curfew The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Trump tweets as tensions rise in the US MORE said in a statement, according to ABC7 News.
The suspect was identified as a white man in his 50s, police announced, saying it was possible to track him using pictures of his license plate taken during the incident.
Since a series of shootings in massage parlors in the Atlanta area that left several Asian American women dead, activists and lawmakers have been warning about the growing threat of violence against Asian minorities in the United States.
Several “Stop Asian Hate” demonstrations took place in cities across the country after last week’s shootings.