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 mentioned.

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min read

Dallas police arrested a suspect in reference to the Could 11 capturing of three girls in a hair salon within the city's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and could be linked to a series of recent shootings at Asian-run businesses in the metropolis, police said.

The victims, the salon proprietor, an worker and a customer, are all Korean, according to ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The ladies suffered nonfatal injuries and had been transported to a neighborhood hospital, in accordance with police.

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

"During our investigation, detectives realized that two years ago Smith had a motorcar crash with an Asian male," Garcia mentioned. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic assaults and delusions when he's round anybody of Asian descent."

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

"The Dallas FBI Area Workplace, the U.S. Lawyer’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 office in Dallas informed ABC News on Monday. "We're in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to thoroughly investigate this incident. As that is an ongoing investigation, we aren't in a position to comment additional at this time."

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

Two of the capturing victims – the proprietor and an employee – have been current on the assembly, in keeping with WFAA. The employee spoke with the assistance of an interpreter and her was face covered. The ladies didn't reveal their names.

Garcia stated that police continue to research two different shootings that could be linked to the salon taking pictures.

"Right now, there have been no arrests on those circumstances," Garcia said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes days after Garcia introduced during a Friday press conference that legislation enforcement “concluded three current shootings of Asian run businesses could also be related.” The suspect in every incident was driving a similar automobile.

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

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

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

Garcia mentioned the taking pictures on the salon might be linked to 1 that happened a day before and one that took place last month.

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

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

“Out of an abundance of warning, we have now reached out to our companions to make them aware of the doable connection and ask for their help,” Garcia mentioned. “This contains the FBI and member companies of the Joint Terrorism Task Drive. We are additionally working with North Texas police companions to determine if this criminal motion has or is taking place of 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 be growing the presence of excessive visibility patrol officers in areas within the metropolis the place there are large Asian American populations.

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

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

ABC's Jim Ryan experiences:

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.