Prosecutors in San Francisco have filed felony assault and hate crime charges in an attack on a Filipino-Chinese-Spanish veteran.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports Victor Humberto Brown is accused of using racial slurs in the attack on Ron Tuason.
According to CBS5, Tuason said the suspect used anti-Asian slurs and punched him several times before knocking him to the ground on March 13.
“When he noticed me, he got aggressive and charged across the street, ‘Go back where you came from, you caused this problem’, referring to COVID, and do you want to get hurt? You’re not a veteran, I’m a veteran,’” recalled Tuason to CBS5.
Tuason suffered a black eye, swollen cheek and memory loss following the attack.
“Because of the color of my skin, and because I like to wear a hat that says I served – that people who are minorities who are often neglected, overlooked invisible – we served,” Tuason said.
Authorities originally filed misdemeanor charges against Brown. He also faces charges connected to three separate warrants related to previous incidents, including an attack on a bus driver in Santa Clara County.
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