A man and a teenager believed to be behind a string of robberies in Sacramento, California, targeting Asian women are now being accused of hate crimes.
Latravion Mccockran, 20, of Sacramento, and a 17-year-old from Berkeley are facing hate crime enhancements on top of the robbery charges filed against them following their arrest in June, the Sacramento Police Department said in a press release on Wednesday.
“Detectives continued their investigation after the arrests and located additional evidence indicating that the victims were targeted due to their race,” said the statement. Mccockran and the teen were accused of a string of robberies that occurred on Stockton Blvd. Corridor in April and May, when they assaulted multiple Asian women leaving shopping centers. A victim told the police that one of the suspects was armed with a handgun during their robbery of her.
Victims were reportedly physically assaulted during the incidents. They were also robbed of their property, such as thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
Authorities eventually arrested the teen in Berkeley on June 15, along with two other individuals he was with at the time who were armed with illegal handguns. Mccockran was arrested on June 22, and both suspects are still in custody as of Wednesday.
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office charged both the man and the teen with robbery, with the hate crime enhancement being added to their charges on Monday.
Authorities have not released further details about the 17-year-old, but Mccockran was reportedly being held in county jail on Thursday with a $50,000 bail.
As the investigation remains open, the Sacramento police have put up a $1,000 reward for anyone who could provide valuable tips regarding the incident.
Featured Image via Hellocolby (CC BY-SA 4.0)
