Asian American Army Veteran Beaten in Clear Hate Crime in SF

An Asian American Army veteran experienced verbal and physical abuse while at a bus stop in San Francisco.

Ron Tuason, 56, claims he was assaulted for wearing a veteran’s hat near Ocean and Plymouth Avenues on March 13 at around 4 p.m., according to KPIX.

His attacker, later identified as Victor Brown, 53, reportedly screamed racist insults before punching him multiple times.

Tuason — who relies on a cane to walk — was knocked to the ground.

“When he noticed me,” Tuason said, “he got aggressive and charged across the street, ‘Go back where you came from, you caused this problem’, referring to COVID, and do you want to get hurt? You’re not a veteran, I’m a veteran.’”

Tuason reportedly attempted to film the incident using his mobile phone, but Brown stopped him.

“I had one arm out, my left arm, but he sidestepped that and came in from the outside, and he waylaid me, and he laid me out right here and it was very swollen,” he continued. “There was a chain link fence and I hit the steel post, and I was followed up with two lefts and a knee.”

Tuason, a longtime San Francisco resident, is of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish descent. As a former combat engineer, he was stationed in Louisiana and Germany in the 1980s.

“Because of the color of my skin, and because I like to wear a hat that says I served – that people who are minorities who are often neglected, overlooked invisible – we served,” he shared.

Shortly after the attack, Brown was apprehended by the San Francisco Police Department for assault, battery with the hate crime enhancement, possession of narcotic paraphernalia and resisting arrest, among others.

Prior to the incident, Brown already had three outstanding warrants, including one for the battery of a bus driver in Santa Clara County and one for battery in San Jose.

Feature Image via KPIX CBS SF Bay Area

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