Sheriff’s Deputies Make Arrest After 2 Asians Assaulted in Southern California

Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department officers patrol the area in a file photo. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

A 29-year-old Santa Barbara man was arrested Dec. 6 after an Asian juvenile and an older Asian man were attacked in separate incidents in Calabasas, California.

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested Angel Sanchez Jr. in Oxnard, about 62 miles northwest of Los Angeles, on suspicion of assault with force.

At about 4:30 p.m. Dec. 5, the sheriff’s Malibu substation received two calls about unprovoked attacks that occurred near the 26000 block of Agoura Road and Los Springs Drive in Calabasas, an upscale community about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

A male juvenile of Asian-American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) descent and resident of Los Angeles County was attacked first, followed by a 60-year-old of AAPI descent who is a resident of Calabasas, according to the sheriff’s department.

The older victim was walking with his grandchild who was in a stroller. The suspect parked in a nearby driveway, got out of a car, and walked up to the victim, striking him in the face before fleeing in a silver Honda with Nevada license plates, according to the sheriff’s department.

“Although both victims of the assaults were of Asian descent, the motive for the attacks is currently under investigation,” the sheriff’s department said in a public alert Dec. 6.

According to Los Angeles County’s inmate information, Mr. Sanchez was charged with a felony but was assigned “no bail.”

The county has a “zero bail” policy that requires law enforcement to cite and release suspects pending court dates for certain offenses.