Suspect recognized in Dallas salon capturing as FBI opens hate crime investigation

The incident could also be connected to shootings at Asian-run businesses, police stated.

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min read

Dallas police arrested a suspect in reference to the Might 11 taking pictures of three women in a hair salon in the city's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and might be linked to a series of recent shootings at Asian-run companies in the metropolis, police stated.

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

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

"Throughout our investigation, detectives learned that two years in the past Smith had a motor vehicle crash with an Asian male," Garcia mentioned. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic attacks and delusions when he is round anyone of Asian descent."

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

"The Dallas FBI Subject Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Workplace for the Northern District in Texas and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice have opened a federal hate crime investigation into the incident at Hair World Salon in Dallas,” a spokesperson for the FBI field office in Dallas advised ABC Information on Monday. "We're in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering collectively to totally examine this incident. As that is an ongoing investigation, we are not capable of comment additional at this time."

Police met with neighborhood members at a town corridor in Koreatown on Monday amid concerns for the general public's safety.

Two of the taking pictures victims – the owner and an worker – have been present at the meeting, in keeping with WFAA. The employee spoke with the assistance of an interpreter and her was face coated. The ladies did not reveal their names.

Garcia said that police continue to analyze two different shootings which may be linked to the salon capturing.

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

The arrest comes days after Garcia introduced throughout a Friday press convention that regulation enforcement “concluded three latest shootings of Asian run businesses may be connected.” The suspect in each incident was driving an identical car.

This picture exhibits the interior of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police are on the lookout for a person who opened fire inside the salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three individuals.

Police said they learned from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what gave the impression to be "a dark shade minivan-type vehicle" on Royal Lane and then walked throughout the parking lot and into the establishment, allegedly opening hearth as soon as he entered the salon.

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

Garcia said the shooting at the salon might be linked to at least one that occurred a day earlier than and one which passed off final month.

Police realized from witness reviews that on April 2, a driver in a purple minivan drove past a strip mall of Asian-run companies and fired photographs at three businesses. Nobody was injured.

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

“Out of an abundance of caution, we've got reached out to our partners to make them conscious of the doable connection and ask for his or her help,” Garcia said. “This includes the FBI and member businesses of the Joint Terrorism Job Drive. We are also working with North Texas police companions to determine if this felony action has or is going down in their jurisdictions.”

Hair World Salon in Dallas, Might 12, 2022. A person opened hearth contained in the hair salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three folks.

Garcia mentioned police might be growing the presence of excessive visibility patrol officers in areas in the metropolis the place there are large Asian American populations.

“We're turning to each resident of the town of Dallas to keep an eye fixed out and safeguard our city,” Garcia mentioned. “Hate has no place right here.”

These incidents in Dallas come amid a spate of attacks focusing on Asian People across the nation, which spiked through the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC's Jim Ryan stories:

ABC Information' Invoice Hutchinson and contributed to this report.