Breaking: Suspect identified in three cases of harassment against Asians in Torrance, CA

By Louis Chan, AsAmNews National Correspondent

The suspect in three separate racial harassment cases in the city of Torrance near Los Angeles has been identified as Lena Hernandez.

Torrance Police Chief Eve Berg made the announcement at 3 p.m. Torrance time.

She is the suspect in all three cases. The last two happened this week at Wilson Park in Torrance, which is described as the center of activity in the city.

The other happened back in October at the local mall and was perpetrated against a janitor and a bystander who attempted to intervene.

If there’s any victims out there, please call our police dept,” urged Chief Berg.

“If you can help identify this person and bring her in custody, please call our police department.”

The news conference was also attended by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi and Torrance Mayor Patrick Furey.

“Racism against any community is unacceptable,” said Muratsuchi. “I lived in Torrance for 20 years and raised my daughter. When my daughter saw this video of this woman ranting against this Asian American woman, it just horrified my daughter and horrified me. This is not the Torrance I know.”

He said he immediately forwarded the video to Mayor Furey and Chief Berg and both acted immediately.

“The city of Torrance does not in anyway condone this language conducted in our public space, Wilson Park,” said the Mayor. “The suspect will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of law if she violated any crimes, local state and federal.”

Chief Berg said investigators have visited several Long Beach addresses, including the home tied to the suspect’s vehicle, but she has not turned up. She also said Hernandez has ties to the Torrance area and is known to visit frequently.

She also criticized many false reports on social media which incorrectly identified the suspect and stated she had relatives working at the Torrance Police Department. She said that is not true. She also says she has no information that Hernandez has any family working at the Department either.

Berg said investigators are looking into reports the suspect is mentally ill.

Muratsuchi tied the incidents to a spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the pandemic. He blamed it on the use of such terms as Chinese virus and Wuhan virus.

“It is a message that is being sent that not only Chinese, but all Asian Americans may pose a health threat. It has triggered a spike in anti-Asian crimes across country,” he said.

Kacelyn Salminao tweeted that she filed a police report against the same woman in October 2019, but that nothing came of it. What are you going to do about it now, Torrance PD? Salminao asked on Twitter.

The suspect pictured in her photos of the suspect is wearing the same clothes in that October episode that she wore while attacking the two people earlier this week.

As AsAmNews previously reported, the woman accosted a woman on the stairs while she was exercising in the park. (you can watch both videos of this week’s incident in the previous report).

“Go back to whatever (expletive) Asian country you belong in,” she can be heard saying on the video.

The victim is reportedly Filipino American and her first name is Sherry, according to CNN, which said she asked that her last name not be used.

“I don’t feel safe here now,” shetold the cable news network. “It was somewhere I called home because it reminds me of Hawaii, where I was born and raised, and now I just don’t even want to go out.”

The group “South Bay Social” returned to the same park Friday morning.

“We are joining forces to show support for our South Bay neighbor who was verbally harassed with racial comments while working out in Wilson Park,”the group told ABC7 News.

In another video shot earlier, the same woman is seen telling a man “I am not a racist person. but you know what? You need to go home…do you understand me, chinaman.”

Rep Ted Lieu (D-CA) represents the Torrance area. He tweeted Torrance is not a bad city.

“This woman went on an anti-Asian tirade in Torrance, CA. You know what’s sort of cool? The good and decent people of Torrance repeatedly elected an Asian American to City Council, then State Assembly, then State Senate, then Congress. That would be me.”

There have been other media reports identifying the suspect. However, AsAmNews chose not to report the woman’s name until it could be confirmed. The suspect has been described by people who claim to know her as mentally ill.

There have been other comments on social media that she is related to members of the Torrance Police Department, but that has also not been confirmed. The chief said she has no information to believe that may be true.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up more than 30 percent of the population of Torrance.

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