Police said the suspect attacked a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman after the attack on viral security footage by pushing them to the ground.
Oakland Police Department
California police have 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.
28-year-old Yahya Muslim was charged on Tuesday with assault, accusations and maltreatment of the elderly, according to documents obtained by CBS San Francisco. He is also facing additional charges of “special charges” for breaking the law while on bail.
The attacks occurred shortly after noon on January 31. Police said that after the attack captured in the viral security video, a Muslim attacked a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman by pushing them to the ground. causing the woman to lose consciousness.
Muslim was already in police custody for unrelated charges when he was arrested for the assaults. According to prison records, Muslim was placed in a psychiatric prison and treated in a hospital before being booked into Santa Rita prison on February 1.
OPD would like to thank our community for providing information that has led to a person of interest in this matter. Investigators determined that this person has been in custody for an unrelated case since February 1. Investigators are working hard to forward this case to the prosecutor’s office for review and charge. https://t.co/qlcb7OvMCd
Attacks against Asian Americans are on the rise across the country, with many blaming former President Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric about the coronavirus, which he often refers to as ‘the Chinese virus’ or ‘kung flu’.
California, in particular, has seen a troubling trend in violence against people of Asian descent. On January 28, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, a Thai immigrant living in San Francisco, was murdered after being crushed to the ground by a 19-year-old who was later charged with murder and elder abuse.
Last week, Oakland Police announced they were in the process of allocating “resources and patrols” to the city’s Chinatown ahead of Friday’s Lunar New Year celebrations following a “recent spate of violent attacks and robberies.”
A video highlighting recent attacks on 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, writing that he and Chinese-American actor Daniel Wu would offer $ 25,000 to anyone who helped identify the attacker.
“We need to do more to help the literally thousands of Americans who have suffered this absolutely senseless violence,” Kim said in a CBS interview on Tuesday. “We have to take a stand and say ‘no more’.” ‘
The sky-high number of hate crimes against Asian Americans continues to grow, despite our repeated requests for help. The crimes were ignored and even excused. Think of Vincent Chin. #Enough is enough. @danielwuyanzu and I are offering a $ 25,000 reward .. https://t.co/ImXYhzNuRH
Kim continued on Tuesday Twitter that since no one stepped forward to claim the money, he would donate the $ 25,000 reward to organizations that fight anti-Asian racism and violence and encourage others to donate as well.