By Louis Chan, AsAmNews National Correspondent
Hayward Police in the San Francisco Bay Area are seeking a man accused of slapping an elderly Asian American man after asking if he was Asian.
Authorities confirmed to AsAmNews that the case is being investigated as both a hate crime and elder abuse
Surveillance video taken at a Chevron Gas Station near the Southland Mall on July 5 shows the suspect hitting the man across the face. Witnesses report hearing the suspect ask the man at least twice if he was Asian, before slapping him across the face.
The Asian American victim in the case left the scene before police arrived. Police are hoping to track down the suspect to increase the chance the District Attorney will choose to prosecute this.
Authorities say they have leads on both the suspect and the victim.
Police also confirmed to AsAmNews that a photo being circulated on social media is indeed the suspect, but she cautioned the car may not be registered to the suspect.
Officer Cassondra Fovel, a spokesperson for the Hayward Police Department said a name identified as the suspect on social media is incorrect.
“We don’t tolerate any hate of any kind,” said Fovel to AsAmNews. “We take these kinds of investigations very seriously. This is very important to us.”
Anyone with any information is urged to contact Detective McGiboney at 510-293-7176.
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No “man” would ever strike an elderly person. What we have here is a bully…a coward.