Police identify 3 suspects in attack of Chinese PhD student at UW-Madison
By Carl Samson
June 22, 2022
Madison police have identified three of the four suspects accused of assaulting a Chinese doctorate student near the University of Wisconsin-Madison last week.
Alijah C. Johnson (19), Cashius E. Carter (18) and Abdoulah C. Traore-Flores (17) are now facing battery and disorderly conduct charges for the June 14 attack, which left the victim with a bleeding ear and “spots” on his head. Their alleged 15-year-old accomplice remains unidentified.
In a Weibo post, the 26-year-old student recalled the suspects striking him in the face, shoving him to the ground, and repeatedly punching and kicking him. Police arrested the four suspects on Saturday.
The same group is also accused of throwing a banana at another Chinese student earlier that night. The victim, a male undergraduate student, reported the incident to university police and later revealed that he had sustained injuries.
The suspects are also believed to have been behind two battery incidents that occurred on June 12. Those attacks victimized a white man who had no connection to the university and a Hispanic male undergraduate student who had his injuries treated at the hospital.
The attacks against the Chinese students sparked a rally at the state Capitol on Friday. Around 150 to 200 people – many of them Asian students – showed up to call for justice and demand an end to Asian hate.
Both campus and Madison police have increased their presence in the downtown area after the attacks. On Tuesday, University of Wisconsin-Madison Interim Chancellor John Karl Scholz assured the academic community that both the administration and law enforcement are working together to support the victims.
“I want to assure you that UW-Madison and the UW Police Department continue to work with the Madison Police Department to support the victims and understand what occurred,” Scholz wrote. “Violence has no place on our campus, nor in our city, and we are focused on keeping our community safe.”
The campus’ University Health Services also offered virtual support and connection spaces for Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA) and Asian students on Monday and Tuesday. The services sought to help students heal following the attacks.
“We know more needs to be done to end this violence and allow people opportunities to heal,” Scholz said.
“Please know we will continue to work with our students, staff and faculty; our Madison community partners; and law enforcement to strengthen our collective efforts to have a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for all on campus and in the broader community.”
The police have yet to find evidence to investigate the attacks as hate crimes.
Featured Image via Weibo (left), Madison Police Department (right)
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