Suspect recognized in Dallas salon taking pictures as FBI opens hate crime investigation

The incident may be related to shootings at Asian-run companies, police mentioned.

17 Might 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

Dallas police arrested a suspect in reference to the May 11 capturing of three ladies in a hair salon in the metropolis's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and may very well be linked to a series of latest shootings at Asian-run businesses in the metropolis, police stated.

The victims, the salon proprietor, an worker and a customer, are all Korean, in keeping with ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The women suffered nonfatal accidents and have been transported to an area hospital, in accordance with police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia recognized the suspect as 36-year-old Jeremy Smith throughout a press convention on Tuesday. Garcia mentioned that Smith was charged with three counts of aggravated assault.

"During our investigation, detectives discovered that two years ago Smith had a motorcar crash with an Asian male," Garcia said. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic assaults and delusions when he's around anybody of Asian descent."

The Dallas Police Division and the FBI are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

"The Dallas FBI Area Workplace, the U.S. Attorney’s Workplace for the Northern District in Texas and the Civil Rights Division of the Division of Justice have opened a federal hate crime investigation into the incident at Hair World Salon in Dallas,” a spokesperson for the FBI discipline office in Dallas informed ABC News on Monday. "We are in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering collectively to totally investigate this incident. As that is an ongoing investigation, we're not in a position to comment further at the moment."

Police met with group members at a city corridor in Koreatown on Monday amid issues for the general public's security.

Two of the capturing victims – the owner and an employee – have been current at the assembly, in response to WFAA. The worker spoke with the help of an interpreter and her was face covered. The women didn't reveal their names.

Garcia mentioned that police proceed to research two other shootings that may be linked to the salon shooting.

"Presently, there have been no arrests on these circumstances," Garcia said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes days after Garcia introduced throughout a Friday press convention that legislation enforcement “concluded three latest shootings of Asian run businesses could also be related.” The suspect in every incident was driving the same automobile.

This photo exhibits the inside of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police are in search of a man who opened fire inside the salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three people.

Police stated they discovered from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what appeared to be "a darkish coloration minivan-type vehicle" on Royal Lane and then walked across the parking lot and into the establishment, allegedly opening hearth as soon as he entered the salon.

Police also launched a safety picture of a maroon minivan they said the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia stated the shooting on the salon is likely to be linked to one that occurred a day earlier than and one which happened last month.

Police realized from witness reviews that on April 2, a driver in a crimson minivan drove previous a strip mall of Asian-run businesses and fired shots at three companies. No one was injured.

And on Might 10, a suspect in a burgundy van or car drove by and shot into Asian-run companies close to 4849 Sunnyvale Avenue, police stated.

“Out of an abundance of caution, now we have reached out to our partners to make them aware of the attainable connection and ask for their help,” Garcia said. “This consists of the FBI and member agencies of the Joint Terrorism Process Power. We are also working with North Texas police partners to determine if this prison action has or is going down of their jurisdictions.”

Hair World Salon in Dallas, Could 12, 2022. A person opened fire contained in the hair salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three folks.

Garcia said police will likely be increasing the presence of excessive visibility patrol officers in areas in the metropolis the place there are massive Asian American populations.

“We are turning to each resident of town of Dallas to maintain a watch out and safeguard our city,” Garcia stated. “Hate has no place here.”

These incidents in Dallas come amid a spate of assaults targeting Asian Individuals across the nation, which spiked in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC's Jim Ryan reviews:

ABC Information' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.