Police in California 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.
Yahya Muslim, 28, was charged Tuesday with assault, battery, and elder abuse according to documents obtained by CBS San Francisco. He also faces additional "special allegation" charges for violating the law while on bail.
The attacks occurred shortly after noon on Jan. 31. Police said that after the assault captured in the viral security video, Muslim went on to attack a 60-year-old man and 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 jail records, Muslim was placed under a psychiatric hold and treated at a hospital before being booked at the Santa Rita jail on Feb. 1.
OPD thanks our community for providing info that led to a person of interest in this case. Investigators determined this person has been in custody since Feb 1 on unrelated case. Investigators are working hard to forward this case to the DA's office for review and charging. https://t.co/qlcb7OvMCd
Attacks against Asian Americans have been on the rise across the country, with many placing the blame on former president Donald Trump's racist rhetoric about 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 Jan. 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 elder abuse.
Last week, Oakland police announced they were reallocating "resources and patrols" to the city's Chinatown in advance of Friday's Lunar New Year celebrations following a "recent surge in violent assaults and robberies."
A video highlighting recent attacks against Asian Americans by activist Amanda Nguyen has been viewed more than 500,000 times across Instagram and Twitter.
South Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim tweeted the security footage of the attack against the 91-year-old man on Friday and wrote that he and Chinese American actor Daniel Wu would be offering $25,000 to anyone who helped identify the assailant.
"We must do more to help the literally thousands of Americans who have suffered at the hands of this absolutely senseless violence," Kim said in a CBS interview Tuesday. "We must take a stand and say, 'no more.'"
The skyrocketing number of hate crimes against Asian Americans continues to grow, despite our repeated pleas for help. The crimes ignored and even excused. Remember Vincent Chin. #EnoughisEnough. @danielwuyanzu & I are offering a $25,000 reward.. https://t.co/ImXYhzNuRH
On Tuesday, Kim said on Twitter that since nobody stepped forward to claim the money, he would be donating the $25,000 reward to organizations that combat anti-Asian racism and violence and encouraged others to donate as well.