After a Japanese American professor was brutally beaten in a possible hate attack, Asian American community organizations Thursday called on law enforcement to put more effort into finding the suspect while urging prosecutors to help stop anti-Asian hate crimes.
Professor Aki Maehara was still gripped by physical pain and emotional trauma from last month’s attack, which left him with a concussion as well as injuries to his neck, cheek and teeth.
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WATCH HEREMaehara said, as he was riding his electric bike home from work in Montebello, a four-door, mid-sized sedan knocked him off his bike, forcing him to land hard on concrete.
“Go back to C-----land,” the ethics professor recalled hearing the racial epithet as the car sped away.
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The 71-year-old, also a Vietnam War veteran, said he provided details to officers with the Montebello Police Department, including the name of a person he believed was behind the attack. But when a detective called back, key information was not included in the initial report, according to Maehara.
Lacking faith in the investigation, Maehara turned to a coalition of attorneys, activists and supporters from Los Angeles’ Asian American community to put more pressure on officials.
“We’ve been here hundreds of years. We’ve contributed to America. This is our country, too,” said Gerald Ohn with the Asian American Civil Rights League.
The culprit behind Maehara’s attack could face felony hate crime charges, especially due to his serious injuries.
The Montebello Police Department did not respond to NBC Los Angeles’ questions about the investigation.
