Police announced the arrests of 50 people in a crime spree against Asian Americans that has gone on for at least two years.
The Sacramento Bee reports the announcement was made during a community forum organized by police to allay fears in the community.
The number arrested is more than two times the 20 arrests announced in October of 2016.
“Know your neighbors and look out for each other,” said Detective John Fan. “This is one of the biggest reasons we’ve seen such a big decease in (robberies in) the Stockton Boulevard and Elder Creek area.”
Fox 40 reports police kept cameras out of the latest meeting in hopes that new victims might come forward
A spike in crime last year was blamed on robberies who were following the smell of marijuana and mistakenly believed the homes they hit had pot grows.
Police admit they are struggling to come up with a motive for this year’s crime wave, although they suspect thieves believe Asians keep lots of money in their homes.
“We were able to purchase PODS, police operated devices, that we were able to strategically locate along Stockton Boulevard,” said Frank Louie of the Stockton Boulevard Property Business Improvement District in explaining how they were able to stop last year’s spree.
Police say most of the suspects in custody are in their teens and early 20’s and come from various ethnic backgrounds.
Language barriers may be preventing some victims from reporting the crimes.
“They don’t want to deal with police,” said Fan . “They don’t want to deal with the process.”
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. You can show your support by liking our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/asamnews, following us on Twitter, sharing our stories, interning or joining our staff.
