A man is facing multiple charges with hate crime enhancements after allegedly attacking three Asian Americans while making racist comments in San Francisco’s Dolores Park last month.
Armando Sanchez Vazuquez, 30, was taken into custody after the incident on Monday, which allegedly saw him throwing a brick and a metal grate at the Korean victims.
During the attack, he allegedly yelled “Go back to China” and other racial slurs at them, as per The San Francisco Standard.
The trio of victims, which included a 73-year-old, were not injured.
Vazuquez has been charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of elder abuse, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Wednesday.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins condemned the attack in a statement.
No one should face discrimination or violence because of who they are. While hate crimes reported against the Asian American community were down from 2021, we must remain vigilant and send the strongest possible message that hate, and violence will never be tolerated in San Francisco. I am taking the concerns of our AAPI community, especially our elders, to heart and want them and all of San Francisco to know that there will be accountability and consequences for people who choose to engage in hate and violence.
Vazuquez will return to court for a preliminary hearing and detention motion ruling on Feb. 15.
He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of all charges. He currently remains in custody on a $51,500 bail and is also facing separate cases of vandalism.
Just last week, Jenkins, along with Mayor London Breed and other city officials, announced a new response protocol to hate incidents in the city. It includes multilingual resources to help victims report crimes faster, as well as more convenient access to legal services.
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