What started as a racist verbal attack turned physically violent for a Filipino-American family in the San Fernando Valley. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on June 17, 2022.
What started as a racist verbal attack turned physically violent for a Filipino-American family in the San Fernando Valley.
The hate crimes unit of the LA District Attorney’s office is now investigating the incident.
The family says it was a craving for a late night snack that brought them to a McDonalds drive through.
Instead, they say they landed their father in the hospital with a broken rib, and it all left them scarred for life.
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The Roque family’s vehicle had a dent and paint marks from the driver they say rear ended them at the drive through line at McDonalds on Victory Boulevard last month.
The North Hollywood family could never imagine that was just the beginning of a dangerous and violent racial attack.
The man, identified by the LA District Attorney's office as 31-year-old Nicholas Weber, continued his verbal attack.
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As 19-year-old Patricia Roque continues to record, it turns violent.
“I thought he was just going to end with the slurs but he threatened us verbally saying I'll kill you,” Roque said.
The family pulls off to a parking space to wait for police and their dad, who rushed over from home to help.
When he tries to defend his family.
“As soon as the man noticed my dad, he started grabbing him with his bare hands and started pushing him and he fell to the concrete ground and his upper body hit the curb,” Roque said.
The video shows the man then attacks Roque’s mom.
“He just grabbed my arm and then he's just choking me,” Nerissa Roque said.
The Roque family, along with dozens of Filipino American rights advocates held a rally this afternoon demanding police arrest Weber.
There is now an arrest warrant out for him, after Weber failed to appear in court last week.
the District Attorney’s office confirms.
Weber is now charged with two counts of felony battery with hate crime allegations.
The family says they won't stop sharing their story until he's in custody.
“I wasn't physically hurt by the man but the damage -- was so much ... that i couldn't just let this go,” Roque said.
“He had the mind to say racial slurs to us and even threaten to kill us. You don't say that out of the blue - you have to think about that .. that's an inhumane person for sure,” Nerissa said.
