The San Diego Police Department has arrested the suspect who punched an 83-year-old Filipina on a city trolley earlier this month.
On Feb. 8, the elderly woman, whose identity was not released, boarded a trolley at the Encanto/62nd Street Trolley Station headed for Downtown San Diego when a man, identified as 35-year-old James Winslow, approached her and punched her in the head, the police department said.
Winslow exited the trolley at the next stop, according to various reports.
As previously reported by the Asian Journal, witnesses helped the Filipina and called 911. She was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and was subsequently released.
“Her injuries were described as bumps and bruises,” according to NBC 7 San Diego.
The suspect was identified and arrested on Feb. 12 based on tips from the community. He faces one count of assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse.
The incident transpired amid a string of violent crimes targeting elderly Asian Americans, but SDPD Lt. Matthew Botkin said the attack does not appear to be a hate crime.
Violent attacks against elderly Asian Americans have gone viral in the past month.
In late January, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, who was originally from Thailand, died from injuries after Antoine Watson, 19, knocked him to the ground while on his morning walk in the Anza Vista neighborhood of San Francisco. A fundraiser for Ratanapakdee’s family has raised nearly $70,000.
In early February, a Filipino American man had to receive almost 100 stitches after he was slashed across the face by another passenger on the New York City subway.
Noel Quintana, 61, was riding the L train to get to work in Harlem on February 3 when a man walked by and kicked the tote bag that Quintana had set on the train floor.
When Quintana confronted the man after he noticed his bag being kicked again, the man took out a box cutter and slashed Quintana across the face from cheek to cheek. Quintana was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment.
From March to December 2020, Stop AAPI Hate, an online reporting tracking anti-Asian hate incidents, received 2,808 reports of racism and discrimination targeting community members, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.
The tracking center allows individuals to report in English as well as several Asian languages like Tagalog. The website also features safety tips for those who experience or witness hate.
