The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says it will not investigate as a hate crime the sucker-punching of an elderly Asian American man who was taking a walk in Calabasas, California with his infant grand-daughter in a stroller.
“There is no evidence that this is a hate crime,” Detective Sgt. Brandon Painter of the Malibu/Lost Hills division of LASD, told Ethnic Media Services. “The suspect made no hateful remarks,” he said, characterizing the attack as a “random incident.”
“We are following the facts, and the facts don’t point to a hate crime,” said Painter, adding LASD is not planning to investigate the case as a bias-motivated attack.
No motive is yet established for what appear to be unprovoked attacks.
Two Concurrent Attacks
According to a report from the LA County Sheriff’s Department, on Dec. 5 afternoon, suspect Angel Sanchez, 29, first attacked a young AAPI-origin boy who was walking on a bike trail. Sanchez then went on to attack the Asian American senior, knocking him to the ground. His infant grand-daughter was also thrown out of the stroller and fell to the ground.
Sanchez then fled in a minivan.
The suspect was arrested the following day in Oxnard, California, and booked at Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. He is charged with felony Assault with Force Likely to Produce Great Bodily Injury.
According to his booking record, Sanchez is being held without bail. No arraignment date had been set as of Dec. 7 evening.
Victim Grabbed From Behind
Neither victim has been identified by law enforcement, and the LASD says it is currently not releasing any additional information about them. Several posts on social media platforms note that the baby, the grandfather, and the juvenile are all okay and did not require hospitalization.
ABC 7 has identified the juvenile as Nathan Manyari, who told the news station he was attacked from behind. Sanchez allegedly grabbed Manyari by the back of his neck and tried to pull him to the ground.
Suspect Targeted Victims
Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, told EMS: “It is hard to ignore the race of the victims. The suspect seems to be targeting the AAPI community in both incidents.”
She acknowledged that proving a hate crime can be difficult. “If the attacker didn’t say anything, it is much harder to prove that the incident rises to the level of a hate crime.”
However, said Chung Joe, many law enforcement jurisdictions are mindful of the alarming rise in bias-motivated attacks against the AAPI community over the past three years. “They have investigated more broadly to determine whether there is racial animus.”
Motivation Unknown
AAAJ does not advocate for hate crime enhancements on cases, said Chung Joe. “We do encourage law enforcement to be more sensitive as to what motivated an attack.”
Too often, she said, cases such as these are dismissed without a proper investigation as to the motive. “This makes our community feel invisible, as though we’ve been gas lit, and just making up what has happened to us.”
The LASD is the largest sheriff’s department in the country, in a location with a large AAPI population. “Beyond this case, it is important for LASD to show that it is being sensitive and looking at such cases with a broader view,” said Chung Joe. “They need to be more proactive and show sensitivity to a community that is being victimized.”
Stop AAPI Hate
More than 11,000 acts of hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been reported to the Stop AAPI Hate web portal since March 2020, amid the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
