According to police, the suspect attacked a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman after the assault in viral security surveys 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 Chinatown, Oakland went viral.
Yahya Muslim, 28, was charged Tuesday with assault, battery and elder abuse, according to documents obtained by CBS San Francisco. He is also facing additional charges of “special allegations” for violating the law while on bail.
The attacks took place shortly after noon on 31 January. Police said Muslim attacked a 60-year-old man and 55-year-old woman after the assault in the viral security video by 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 assaults. According to prison records, Muslim was placed under a psychiatric container and treated in a hospital before being booked at Santa Rita Prison on February 1.
OPD thanks our community for providing information that led to an interested person in this matter. Investigators have determined that this person has been in custody since Feb. 1 because of an unrelated case. Investigators are working hard to send this case to the DA’s office for review and indictment. https://t.co/qlcb7OvMCd
Attacks against Asian Americans are on the rise across the country, and many have blamed former President Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric on the coronavirus, which he often referred to as “the China virus” or “Kung Flu”.
California in particular has seen a disturbing trend in violence against people of Asian descent. On January 28, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, a Thai immigrant living in San Francisco, was killed after being pushed to the ground by a 19-year-old who was later charged with murder and parental abuse.
Last week, Oakland Police announced they allocated ‘resources and patrols’ to the city of Chinatown ahead of Friday’s lunar New Year celebrations following a ‘recent surge in violent assaults 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 the 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 through this absolutely senseless violence,” Kim said in a CBS interview Tuesday. “We need to take a stand and say ‘no more’.”
The enormous number of hate crimes against Asian Americans continues to grow, despite our repeated pleas for help. The crimes were ignored and even excused. Remember Vincent Chin. #Enough is enough. @danielwuyanzu & I offer a reward of $ 25,000 .. https://t.co/ImXYhzNuRH
Kim said Tuesday Twitter because no one came forward to claim the money, he would donate the $ 25,000 reward to organizations that combat anti-Asian racism and violence and encouraged others to donate as well.