A San Francisco man was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly threatened to kill an Asian American woman working at a local bakery.
Darrell Hunter, 46, reportedly visited the bakery on three different occasions, saying he would “shoot Chinese people,” before the victim decided Sunday to contact law enforcement officers about the incident, according to NBC Bay Area.
“Third day he came in leaned on the door he said he get the gun and shoot the Chinese people in here,” the woman said, according to the report.
The 42-year old Asian woman, whose name was not disclosed, called police for the second time Tuesday, after Hunter returned and allegedly mimicked a gun with his hand, simulating to shoot the occupants of the business, KPIX-TV reported. By the time police arrived, he had fled the scene on foot only to be apprehended a few blocks away. (RELATED: Biden Admin Announces A Host Of Moves Designed To Combat Rising Violence Against Asian Americans)
This morning (Tues. 3/30) the suspect returned. TL Officers arrested the suspect and booked him in County Jail.
SFPD case #’s 210192766 & 210196934 /2— SFPD Tenderloin (@SFPDTenderloin) March 30, 2021
Prior to this incident, Hunter had been on probation for vandalism in a 2018 incident where he entered a business four times in 15 days, yelled racial slurs and damaged restaurant furniture, the report says.
Hunter is being held in San Francisco County Jail on three counts of criminal threats, three hate crime enhancements, two counts of burglary, stalking and probation violation, San Francisco Police Department said in a statement Wednesday, according to KPIX-TV.
The past year saw an uptick in hate crimes against members of the Asian community. In the most recent incident, a surveillance video captured a New York man kick a 65-year old Asian woman to the ground and repeatedly stomp on her, saying, “f*** you, you don’t belong here.”