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

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

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

Dallas police arrested a suspect in connection with the May 11 taking pictures of three women in a hair salon within the city's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and could possibly be linked to a series of recent shootings at Asian-run companies in the city, police mentioned.

The victims, the salon owner, an worker 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, based on police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia identified the suspect as 36-year-old Jeremy Smith during a press convention on Tuesday. Garcia said 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 attacks and delusions when he is around anyone of Asian descent."

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

"The Dallas FBI Subject Workplace, 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 area office in Dallas told ABC Information on Monday. "We are in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering collectively to completely investigate this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we're not in a position to remark further at the moment."

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

Two of the taking pictures victims – the proprietor and an worker – had been current at the meeting, in accordance with WFAA. The worker spoke with the assistance of an interpreter and her was face covered. The women did not reveal their names.

Garcia said that police continue to research two other shootings that may be linked to the salon capturing.

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

The arrest comes days after Garcia introduced throughout a Friday press convention that legislation enforcement “concluded three current shootings of Asian run businesses may be related.” The suspect in every incident was driving a similar vehicle.

This picture exhibits the interior of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police are searching for a person who opened hearth contained in the salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three folks.

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

Police additionally released a safety image of a maroon minivan they stated the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia mentioned the capturing at the salon could be linked to at least one that occurred a day before and one which occurred last month.

Police learned from witness studies that on April 2, a driver in a crimson minivan drove previous a strip mall of Asian-run businesses and fired pictures at three companies. Nobody was injured.

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

“Out of an abundance of warning, we've reached out to our partners to make them conscious of the possible connection and ask for their help,” Garcia mentioned. “This includes the FBI and member companies of the Joint Terrorism Task Drive. We are also working with North Texas police partners to find out if this criminal action has or is happening of their jurisdictions.”

Hair World Salon in Dallas, May 12, 2022. A person opened hearth inside the hair salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three individuals.

Garcia stated police shall be rising the presence of high visibility patrol officers in areas in the metropolis the place there are large Asian American populations.

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

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

ABC's Jim Ryan reviews:

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.