UPDATE: 3 Charged In Hate Crime Spree Targeting Asian Women Across Bay Area
September 19, 2021 at 11:02 pm
SANTA CLARA (CBS SF) — Three suspects have been charged in a hate crime spree involving dozens of purse snatches and robberies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area targeting Asian women, authorities announced Friday.
San Jose police said 23-year-old Derje Blanks, 24-year-old Anthony Robinson, and 27-year-old Cameron Moody were arrested following a yearlong, multi-jurisdictional investigation.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said evidence has revealed that the defendants targeted the victims because they assumed the women — who were almost all of Asian descent — carried cash. There are numerous incidents where victims were pulled or wrestled to the ground during the robberies. Some victims were injured.
The crime spree includes more than 40 incidents throughout San Jose, San Pablo, Hayward, East Palo Alto, Newark, San Leandro, Fremont, Campbell, Dublin, and Milpitas, with crimes still being investigated by additional agencies. …
Investigators said that beginning in late 2020, the crime spree included robberies and purse snatches that virtually all followed the same pattern.
According to the DA’s office, evidence showed the suspects targeted Asian women because they believed that Asian women don’t use banks. In some cases, the suspects used ethnic slurs to refer to their victims.