Photo from Go Fund Me
An 84-year-old man killed when a teen ran across the street and shoved him hard into the concrete pavement has been identified as Vicha Ratanapakdee of San Francisco.
Stunned family members met with District Attorney Chesa Boudin and believe the attacker targeted the Thai American man because he is an Asian senior.
“If you see the video there’s nothing non-intentional about it,” Ratanapakdee’s step-son, Eric Lawson, said to KTVU. “For him to come from all the way across the street what else could have motivated him?”
Lawson set up a Go Fund Me page for his step father and believes the attack is connected to the rise in anti-Asian hate since the pandemic.
“Racism has once again proven deadly. Anti-Asian racism has become a very
serious danger to all Asian Americans, particularly in San Francisco. It’s time the authorities took serious action to combat it,” he wrote.
Ratanapakdee’s daughter, Kim, adds that she herself is the victim of several racist verbal attacks during the last year.
“I don’t know what was going on,” she said to Fox2 . “I don’t know why he’s attacking an old man.”
Police arrested 19-year old Antoine Watson Saturday at his home in Daly City along with 20-year-old Maylasia Goo.
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