robbery
California man charged with hate crimes for targeting South Asian women in necklace robbery spree
- Lathan Johnson, 37, is facing robbery and hate crime charges after allegedly targeting South Asian women in a two-month robbery spree in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Beginning in June, Johnson snatched approximately $35,000 worth of necklaces off of at least 14 women in San Jose, Milpitas, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, according to prosecutors.
- In one incident, Johnson allegedly shoved the victim to the ground and punched her husband before grabbing a $1,000 necklace off her neck.
- Almost all of the victims were wearing a sari, bindi or other types of ethnic attire when they were attacked.
- Johnson, of East Palo Alto, is scheduled to be arraigned today on hate crime charges.
A man has been charged with hate crimes after targeting South Asian women in a two-month robbery spree in the San Francisco Bay Area, prosecutors said on Monday.
Lathan Johnson, 37, of East Palo Alto, is accused of snatching necklaces from at least 14 women — aged 50 to 73 — and injuring some of them in the process.
Elderly Asian woman attacked and robbed of life savings by men posing as construction workers in California
- A 70-year-old woman was assaulted and robbed of her life savings by three men pretending to be utility workers in Daly City, California, according to her granddaughter.
- Surveillance footage at the elderly woman’s home showed what appeared to be a man wearing a construction worker vest, a hard hat and holding a laptop.
- “He was pretending to be someone from PG&E, to try and trick my grandmother into letting him to the house,” Skylar, the victim’s granddaughter, said.
- An investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to Daly City police.
- A fundraising campaign has been created on GoFundMe for the recovery of Skylar’s grandmother.
The granddaughter of an elderly Asian woman in Daly City, California, is speaking out after her grandmother was assaulted and robbed of her life savings by three men pretending to be utility workers.
Surveillance footage at the 70-year-old woman’s home shows a man wearing a construction worker vest, a hard hat and holding a laptop.
Delaware jewelry shop owner relearning how to walk after being brutally beaten, pistol-whipped during armed robbery
- A 68-year-old jewelry shop owner was pistol-whipped and brutally beaten during an armed robbery in Wilmington, Delaware.
- Calvin Ushery, the 39-year-old suspect, was arrested on Sept. 22 and is facing multiple charges, including robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
- He is being held at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $130,500 cash-only bail.
- The store owner suffered from internal head bleeding and a severe concussion, according to his son Steve Suh.
- Suh has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for his father’s medical bills.
A jewelry shop owner was pistol-whipped and brutally beaten during an armed robbery in Wilmington, Delaware.
On the morning of Sept. 15, Calvin Ushery, 39, was captured interacting with the 68-year-old Korean American entrepreneur on surveillance footage inside the jewelry store located on the 100 block of West 9th Street.
Georgia man found guilty of terrorizing Asian restaurant owners, employees in home break-ins
- Emmanuel Rakestraw was convicted of breaking into and robbing the homes of several Asian restaurant owners and employees in Georgia’s Gwinnett and DeKalb counties between March 2019 and June 2019.
- Rakestraw, who reportedly worked with at least three others, followed the victims from their businesses to their homes, where children as young as 2 were present.
- In one incident, Rakestraw allegedly pistol-whipped a victim and stole his wallet, which contained his ID, credit cards and more than $1,200 in cash.
- Rakestraw, whose trial began earlier this month, was found guilty of two counts of home invasion, three counts of burglary, two counts of armed robbery and two counts of aggravated assault.
- A sentencing date has not been scheduled yet.
A Georgia man has been convicted of breaking into and robbing several Asian restaurant owners and employees’ homes in 2019, including a residence with a 2-year-old child.
Emmanuel Rakestraw, who reportedly worked with at least three others, carried out the attacks between March 2019 and June 2019. The group trailed victims from their businesses to their homes in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.
‘His dream was taken away’: Man charged for execution-style murder of Indian store clerk
- Chris Copeland, 26, was charged with capital murder on Sept. 13 and held without bail for the execution-style murder of Parmvir Singh, a store clerk in Tupelo, Mississippi.
- Copeland was captured on surveillance camera robbing a Chevron station at Cliff Gookin Boulevard and South Thomas Street on Sept. 11.
- He demanded money from Singh and ordered him to kneel on the floor before shooting him in the back of the head.
- Singh was pronounced dead six hours after the shooting.
- On Sept. 17, hundreds of community members gathered outside the gas station for a candlelight vigil to mourn the loss of Singh and celebrate his life.
A Mississippi man was charged and held without bail for the execution-style murder of a Tupelo store clerk.
Chris Copeland, 26, was charged with capital murder on Sept. 13 at the Tupelo Municipal Court. Copeland was captured on surveillance camera robbing a Chevron station at Cliff Gookin Boulevard and South Thomas Street on Sept. 11, police said
Man sought for destroying and robbing Minneapolis mosque
- Tawfiq Islamic Center, a mosque in south Minneapolis, was burglarized and vandalized on Sunday night.
- Surveillance video at the mosque reportedly shows a hooded man forcing his way in, damaging doors and stealing money.
- The suspect, who remains at large, was described to be a white male in his late 20’s to early 30’s.
- The mosque is now fundraising after suffering more than $50,000 in losses and damages.
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Minnesota (CAIR-MN) and the Islamic Society of Minnesota are offering a $6,000 reward for information that leads to the suspect’s arrest.
A mosque in south Minneapolis suffered tens of thousands of dollars in damages after a thief broke in and went on a destructive rampage on Sunday night.
The incident, which was caught on surveillance video, occurred at Tawfiq Islamic Center at the corner of Minnehaha Avenue and East 24th Street in the Seward neighborhood. It began around 11:17 p.m. and lasted until around midnight.
Duo charged for pistol-whipping, robbing Asian couple of $60K Rolex at 99 Ranch in Rowland Heights
- Two men accused of pistol-whipping and robbing an Asian couple of a $60,000 Rolex watch at a 99 Ranch Market in Rowland Heights, California, in July were formally charged this week.
- Demoryie Watts, 21, and Dangelo Thomas, 25, were also charged for a series of other daytime robberies in Glendale, Fullerton, La Puente, Rosemead and Temple City over the past five months.
- In addition to robbery and elder abuse, Watts and Thomas, who were both on parole, also face “special allegations of personally using a firearm.”
- A third suspect, 21-year-old Eric Burham, was charged for his role in one robbery in May.
Two suspects have been charged in connection with an armed robbery involving an Asian couple at a 99 Ranch Market in Rowland Heights, California, in July, among other similar daytime robberies in the past five months.
A 64-year-old man and 51-year-old woman were loading their groceries into their vehicle in the store’s parking lot on July 9 when the pair of perps approached and demanded the man’s Rolex. They repeatedly pistol-whipped him before stealing his $60,000 watch and fleeing in a white Dodge Challenger with damaged plates.
2nd suspect arrested for pistol-whipping, robbing Asian couple of $60K Rolex at 99 Ranch in Rowland Heights
- Dangelo Thomas, a 25-year-old parolee, was arrested on Wednesday in connection with an armed robbery at a 99 Ranch Market in Rowland Heights, California.
- He was booked for felony offenses, including robbery, possession of a firearm by an ex-felon and violation of parole, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
- Thomas and his accomplice Demoryie Watts, 21, allegedly pistol-whipped an Asian couple and stole the male victim’s $60,000 Rolex watch on July 9.
- Watts was previously arrested on Aug. 12 in his Lancaster home. Thomas is now being held without bond.
A second suspect was arrested in connection with an armed robbery at a 99 Ranch Market in Rowland Heights, California, on July 9.
Dangelo Thomas, a 25-year-old parolee, was arrested in the 300 block of Lime Avenue in Long Beach on Wednesday for felony offenses, including robbery, possession of a firearm by an ex-felon and violation of parole, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Asian woman, 71, hit in the head in violent robbery outside California restaurant
- Enelia Perez, 71, fell victim to a violent robbery outside a Jollibee in Vallejo, California, on Sunday night.
- Perez was reportedly exiting the fast food restaurant when a man tried to grab her purse, resulting in a struggle.
- He then hit Perez in the back of her head with a blunt object, as told by her stepson Dennis to KTVU.
- The suspect managed to flee with Perez’s purse, which contained money, her ID and credit cards, according to reports.
- Vallejo police are investigating the incident.
An elderly Asian woman wound up in the hospital after falling victim to a violent robbery outside a fast food restaurant in Vallejo, California, on Sunday.
Enelia Perez, 71, was reportedly exiting the Jollibee at Vallejo Plaza near Sonoma Boulevard and Redwood Street at around 7 p.m. when a man approached her and tried to grab her purse.
NYPD search for 3 men accused of 19 assaults in less than 1 month, including off-duty officer whose skull was fractured
- New York City Police Department officer Muhammad Chowdhury, 48, was brutally assaulted and robbed while he was off-duty and jogging in the Bronx on Aug. 23.
- He suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain. He recently woke up from a medically induced coma.
- The suspects have assaulted and robbed at least 19 people in the Bronx and Queens since Aug. 1, according to the police.
- Police are still searching for the suspects.
- The family of the victim will be organizing a Bronx protest to demand justice for Chowdhury.
Police are searching for three men who brutally assaulted and robbed an off-duty New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer in the Bronx.
NYPD officer Muhammad Chowdhury, 48, was jogging along Olmstead Ave. in the Bronx neighborhood of Soundview when three suspects stopped him near Lafayette Ave. and attacked him at about 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the authorities.
Filipino veteran, 60, dies after being assaulted, robbed while bringing in groceries to his Baltimore home
- Victor Malabayabas, a 60-year-old Filipino veteran, died from his injuries following an unarmed robbery in Baltimore, Maryland, on Aug. 20.
- Malabayabas moved to the U.S. from the Philippines in 1996, and he served in the U.S. Navy for more than a decade. He is also remembered as a well-known volunteer and fixture in local Catholic church activities in southeast Baltimore.
- A GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $50,000 has been set up on behalf of Malabayabas’ family.
- The investigation on the incident is ongoing. Police are still searching for the suspect.
A Filipino veteran died from his injuries resulting from an unarmed robbery in Baltimore, Maryland.
Victor Malabayabas, 60, was on the 600 block of S. Kenwood Avenue in Canton when an unidentified man asked him for a tissue at about 5:40 p.m. on Aug. 20, according to the Baltimore Police Department.
Man arrested for pistol-whipping, robbing Asian couple of $60K Rolex at 99 Ranch in Rowland Heights
- Demoryie Watts, 21, was arrested on Friday in connection with an armed robbery at a 99 Ranch Market in Rowland Heights, California, on July 9.
- Watts and an unidentified accomplice allegedly pistol-whipped an Asian couple for a $60,000 Rolex before stealing the watch.
- Police found the suspect vehicle — a white Dodge Challenger — and a handgun during a search of Watts’ Lancaster residence, but they did not find the Rolex.
- An investigation revealed that Watts was already out on parole for a previous carjacking arrest at the time of the armed robbery.
- Authorities are still looking for the second suspect.
One of two male suspects has been arrested in connection with an armed robbery at a 99 Ranch Market in Rowland Heights, California, on July 9.
The victims, an Asian couple, were reportedly walking to their vehicle when the pair of hooded robbers approached them and demanded the male victim’s watch.
