Asian Students Attacked by 35-Year-Old Man Who Threatened to Shoot Over Fire Pit in San Diego

June 21, 2021

An Asian American college student in San Diego ended up at the hospital after being attacked by “older and larger” individuals over beach space last week.

What happened: Kobe La, who suffered serious injuries, was out with his friends at Ocean Beach on June 15 when the attack happened just after 9 p.m.

In an Instagram post, his aunt, Jovian, recalled the incident as a fight over beach space. La and his group had surveyed a fire pit before claiming it around 7 p.m. after no one seemed to be using it, NBC San Diego reported.
The group was then confronted by an unidentified male, who said he was 35 years old and demanded they leave, claiming the beach and the fire pit as his.
After lifeguards left for the day, the man allegedly returned two hours later with four more people to attack La, his girlfriend Kristina Castillo, and their friends, who were mostly Asian and aged 18-20. The attackers allegedly called the beach theirs, as well as “their city, their space and threatened to come back if they didn’t leave.”
One attacker said La was “not a local and does not belong here,” Jovian told Very Asian, although La and Castillo were raised in San Diego. The attackers were also accused of calling a Black individual the N-word, but it was not immediately clear if the person was with La’s group.
Before La and his friends fled, he heard one of the attackers say, “If you guys are here any later, we’re going to shoot all of you.”

The aftermath: La told NBC his jaw was fractured in two places and required three-hour surgery. Four of his other friends with him were also injured.

La required emergency surgery and was hospitalized for three days, Jovian said.
A report has been filed with San Diego police, who arrived at the scene after the attackers fled. Authorities are investigating the attack as a battery case.
Jovian is asking the public to share the news to help their family find “these disgusting human beings.” So far, three of the five attackers have been identified using social media, La said.

NextShark has reached out to San Diego police for updates. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call 888-580-TIPS.

Featured Images via @jovianwei_ (left), NBC San Diego (right)

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