TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police are investigating a robbery and assault perpetrated May 10 in Los Angeles County, California, as a potential hate crime because the assailant told a Taiwanese Lyft driver to "go back to China."
At about 9:20 p.m. on May 10, a 67-year-old Lyft driver identified as Paul Liao (廖保羅) parked his BMW for a moment after refueling and washing it at an Arco gas station in El Monte, an LA suburb, reported NBC Los Angeles. However, he forgot to lock his doors, and a man suddenly rushed into the back seat and pointed a handgun at Liao, demanding he surrender his car.
The news agency cited Liao as saying, "I told him 'OK you don't shoot me... I give you money, no problem [sic]." In video footage of the incident, the suspect can be seen grabbing Liao's cell phone and what turned out to be US$1,560.
Suspect points gun at Liao. (Video screenshot from Liao's family)
Unsatisfied, the robber repeated his demand that Liao let him take the wheel. Liao refused and pretended that the vehicle is operated by a keyless system that only allows the owner to drive it.
The video then shows the attacker striking Liao twice in the face with the muzzle of the gun. The second blow knocked Liao's glasses off his face and bloodied his nose.
Liao told NBC that during the encounter, the suspect "kept asking me, 'Are you from China?' I say no." His daughter-in-law, Christine Ting, told CNA that the assailant kept telling Liao to "go back to China."
Liao kept responding by saying "I'm from Taiwan, not China." Ting believes the incident constitutes a hate crime and that if he had not kept saying "I'm from Taiwan," he may have been killed.
Injures Liao suffered from assault. (GoFundMe photo)
Ting said Liao's face is swollen and in pain after the assault. She said that he suffered a cartilage fracture from the attack and underwent a CT scan to check for other injuries.
She has since set up a GoFundMe account to cover his medical expenses, money stolen, and a new cell phone. Although the GoFundMe page had a modest goal of US$3,000, donations have already exceeded US$30,000, prompting Liao to thank his supporters for their "love and support" and "kind messages and comments."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was cited by Newsweek as saying that the case is being investigated as a possible hate crime. Police noted that the suspect had pulled down his mask and that his face is clearly visible in the video.
They are now reviewing the gas station's surveillance footage and searching their criminal record database to attempt to identify him. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
As for a previous assault on a Taiwanese national in New York, police on May 12 arrested Ebony Jackson, 37, for allegedly assaulting a Taiwanese woman with a hammer on May 2, reported ABC News. Police described her as a homeless woman and charged her for assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and menacing.
This Lyft driver was robbed at gunpoint in South El Monte, CA...pic.twitter.com/HxNo4sZOyJ
— Rex Chapman (@RexChapman) May 14, 2021
