Three charged in San Francisco laundromat attack of Asian man
SAN FRANCISCO -
Three men have been charged in an attack on an Asian man at a San Francisco laundromat that was caught on video.
The video starts innocently enough. A 67-year-old Asian man is sitting inside Fashion Laundrette at Mason and Washington in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood, not far from Chinatown.
"This man is sitting by himself in the corner of a laundromat, late at night, minding his own business," said former San Francisco prosecutor Nancy Tung.
But within moments, a group of men come inside the laundromat and attack the man, unprovoked.
"Out of nowhere, three people come in and just begin to assault him. They begin to beat him," said Tung, who has been tracking anti-Asian crimes.
In the video, the suspects are seen kicking the man in the chest and dragging him from his chair.
As the victim is on the ground, not putting up any resistance, the suspects go through his pockets and steal his phone, keys, $600 in cash, and credit cards.
"When I saw this video, my first reaction was, 'Oh no, not again,'" Tung said. "What is really shocking is that there are people in this world who will prey on a person's vulnerabilities, prey on lack of situational awareness, maybe."
According to police, at one point Jason Orozco jump-kicked the victim, who's only identified as his first name, Kwok.
Police said Orozco was joined in the attack by Calvin Bershell and Nolowde Beshears.
The attack happened on Feb. 23. The three men, all from Antioch, were arrested last week. During the raids, police seized two guns.
The men have pleaded not guilty to charges of robbery, kidnapping — for allegedly moving Kwok from his chair — elder abuse, and identity theft. They've also been charged with breaking into seven cars before they allegedly attacked Kwok later that same day.