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

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

17 Might 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

Dallas police arrested a suspect in connection with the Might 11 capturing of three girls in a hair salon in the metropolis's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and could be linked to a series of latest shootings at Asian-run companies within the city, police mentioned.

The victims, the salon owner, an employee and a buyer, are all Korean, in keeping with ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The ladies suffered nonfatal accidents and were transported to a local hospital, in accordance with police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia identified 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 in the past Smith had a motorized vehicle crash with an Asian male," Garcia stated. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic assaults and delusions when he is around anyone of Asian descent."

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

"The Dallas FBI Discipline Workplace, the U.S. Legal professional’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 subject workplace in Dallas instructed ABC News on Monday. "We're in shut communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to completely investigate this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we're not capable of remark additional at this time."

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

Two of the taking pictures victims – the proprietor and an worker – were present at the assembly, based on WFAA. The worker spoke with the help of an interpreter and her was face lined. The ladies didn't reveal their names.

Garcia mentioned that police proceed to investigate two different shootings that could be linked to the salon taking pictures.

"At this time, there have been no arrests on these instances," Garcia said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes days after Garcia announced throughout a Friday press convention that regulation enforcement “concluded three recent shootings of Asian run companies could also be connected.” The suspect in every incident was driving an analogous vehicle.

This photo exhibits the interior of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police are on the lookout for a man who opened fireplace inside the salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three individuals.

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

Police additionally launched a safety picture of a maroon minivan they stated the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia said the shooting on the salon may be linked to one that happened a day before and one which befell last month.

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

And on Might 10, a suspect in a burgundy van or automotive drove by and shot into Asian-run businesses near 4849 Sunnyvale Avenue, police said.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have reached out to our partners to make them aware of the attainable connection and ask for their help,” Garcia said. “This contains the FBI and member businesses of the Joint Terrorism Activity Power. We're additionally working with North Texas police partners to determine if this criminal action has or is going down in their jurisdictions.”

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

Garcia stated police will be rising the presence of excessive visibility patrol officers in areas in the city where there are massive Asian American populations.

“We're turning to every resident of the town of Dallas to keep a watch out and safeguard our metropolis,” Garcia stated. “Hate has no place here.”

These incidents in Dallas come amid a spate of assaults focusing on Asian Americans throughout the nation, which spiked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC's Jim Ryan studies:

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.