Surveillance video shows a man spray painting racial slurs on a Japanese restaurant Thursday morning near Sacramento in California.
Police arrested Lahn Hansen, 43, that night after identifying him as the suspect and finding evidence connected to the crime in his vehicle, according to the Elk Grove Tribune.
“It just terrifies you, like what kind of people could do something like that in this time of year? When we’re battling with COVID, battling with just staying open and keeping employees, right? And to see it like that, it makes you really disappointed, just disappointed in people in general,” Feng Liang, owner of Umai Bar & Grill, said to ABC10.
Elk Grove Police say the crime occurred at 5 a.m. Thursday. Police found Hansen that night with evidence connected to other crimes including the burglary of a church and narcotics. They arrested him on a hate crime charges as well as for possession of a stolen vehicle.
“I want this community to know that crimes targeted at any demographic will not be tolerated in Elk Grove,” Elk Grove Police Chief Timothy Albright stated. “Elk Grove will not allow the inexcusable actions of one person to tarnish the dedication this community has to fostering a climate of inclusivity, diversity, and respect.”
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The Tribune reports many residents of Elk Grove showed up to Umai to help with the clean up.
“What happened to Umai Bar and Grill and the racist message that was used is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our city,” Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen told the Tribune. “While police were investigating, it was very important to me to stop by the restaurant to share my empathy and support with the owners on behalf of our Elk Grove community.”
Residents say if the vandal knew the owner, he would not have done this.
“Because if they knew them, they wouldn’t do this. They wouldn’t do it. These people are kind,” customer Bill King said to ABC10.
Stop AAPI Hate which has been tracking these hate crimes since the pandemic says reports of such crimes have slowed of late. At its peak, Stop AAPI Hate received 2500 reports of hate in the first five months of the pandemic.
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