Veteran from Korea told not your 'f---ing country' by driver in Fremont
A driver in Fremont made slanted eyes and went on a racist tirade against a Korean-American Air Force veteran on May 21, 2018. Photo: James Ahn/FB
FREMONT, Calif. - A woman driving in Fremont was caught on video going on a racist tirade against a Korean-American Air Force veteran telling him to get out of her 'f---ing country,' and although police investigated his report, officers ultimately determined the behavior didn't rise to a crime.
In a tweet, Fremont police called the act "disturbing," but after getting statements from both parties, "could not establish a crime. Sadly hate speech in and of itself is not a crime. This incident is not reflective of our diverse & compassionate city."
A friend of James Ahn, the target of the woman's rage, videotaped part of the woman's rant and posted it to Facebook on May 21, which had 5,000 shares and more than 300,000 views as of Friday.
"My mind was blank the whole time," Ahn told SFGATE. "I couldn't believe what was happening to me."
Ahn, who is from Seoul, Korea, wrote on Facebook that the woman got incensed because he "wasn't driving fast enough for her." Ahn says that he was driving the speed limit of 35 mph, but the woman wanted him to get out of her way because she was speeding.
"I was at the signal stopped when she came behind me and as I started speeding up," Ahn said. "She was flickering her high beam which made me wonder if she was doing that to me."
In the video, the woman can be heard saying, "not your f-ing country, this is my country."
The woman also makes a derogatory slant eyes gesture toward Ahn and says, "ugly Chinese," and says "not your f-ing country, this is my country." It's hard to make out the woman's accent, but it appears as though English is not her first langue. The woman has an elderly female passenger in the front seat.
Anh's Facebook account was blocked temporarily by the company, apparently for the racist language coming from the video he posted, but it was soon resolved.
Ahn told SFGATE he is an Air Force reserve whose main contract ended in January, but is on standby for two more years.