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 mentioned.

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min read

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

The victims, the salon owner, an worker and a customer, are all Korean, based on ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The ladies suffered nonfatal injuries and were transported to a local hospital, in keeping with police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia recognized the suspect as 36-year-old Jeremy Smith during 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 mentioned. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic attacks and delusions when he's 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 Office 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 area workplace in Dallas advised ABC Information on Monday. "We're in shut communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to thoroughly investigate this incident. As that is an ongoing investigation, we're not able to remark additional at the moment."

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

Two of the shooting victims – the owner and an employee – had been present at the assembly, according to WFAA. The worker spoke with the help of an interpreter and her was face coated. The women did not reveal their names.

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

"At this time, there have been no arrests on those instances," Garcia stated, including that the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes days after Garcia introduced throughout a Friday press convention that legislation enforcement “concluded three recent shootings of Asian run companies may be connected.” The suspect in each incident was driving a similar car.

This picture shows the inside of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, Could 12, 2022. Police are searching for a man who opened hearth contained in the salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three people.

Police mentioned they discovered from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what seemed to be "a dark coloration minivan-type vehicle" on Royal Lane after which walked across the car parking zone and into the establishment, allegedly opening fire as quickly as he entered the salon.

Police also released a security picture of a maroon minivan they stated the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia mentioned the shooting on the salon is likely to be linked to one that occurred a day earlier than and one which came about final month.

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

And on Could 10, a suspect in a burgundy van or automotive drove by and shot into Asian-run companies near 4849 Sunnyvale Street, police stated.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have reached out to our companions to make them conscious of the possible connection and ask for their assistance,” Garcia said. “This consists of the FBI and member companies of the Joint Terrorism Process Pressure. We're also working with North Texas police partners to find out if this legal action has or is going down in their jurisdictions.”

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

Garcia mentioned police will likely be increasing the presence of high visibility patrol officers in areas within the metropolis the place there are large Asian American populations.

“We are turning to every resident of town of Dallas to keep an eye fixed out and safeguard our metropolis,” Garcia stated. “Hate has no place right here.”

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

ABC's Jim Ryan reports:

ABC News' Invoice Hutchinson and contributed to this report.