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

The incident may be related to shootings at Asian-run companies, police said.

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min read

Dallas police arrested a suspect in reference to the Might 11 taking pictures of three ladies in a hair salon within the city's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and might be linked to a collection of latest shootings at Asian-run companies in the city, police stated.

The victims, the salon owner, an employee and a customer, are all Korean, in response to ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The ladies suffered nonfatal injuries and were transported to a neighborhood hospital, in line with police.

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

"Throughout our investigation, detectives learned that two years ago Smith had a motorcar crash with an Asian male," Garcia stated. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic attacks and delusions when he's 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. Lawyer’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 field office in Dallas told ABC Information on Monday. "We're in shut communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to thoroughly investigate this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we're not in a position to remark further at this time."

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

Two of the taking pictures victims – the proprietor and an employee – have been present at the meeting, according to WFAA. The worker spoke with the assistance of an interpreter and her was face covered. The ladies did not reveal their names.

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

"At the moment, there have been no arrests on those cases," Garcia mentioned, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes days after Garcia introduced during a Friday press convention that law enforcement “concluded three recent shootings of Asian run companies could also be connected.” The suspect in every incident was driving a similar vehicle.

This photo reveals the interior of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, Could 12, 2022. Police are on the lookout for a person who opened fireplace contained in the salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three people.

Police mentioned they discovered from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what appeared to be "a dark color minivan-type automobile" on Royal Lane and then walked across the parking lot and into the establishment, allegedly opening hearth as soon as he entered the salon.

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

Garcia stated the shooting on the salon is likely to be linked to one that occurred a day before and one that befell last month.

Police discovered from witness reports that on April 2, a driver in a red minivan drove previous a strip mall of Asian-run businesses and fired photographs 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 companies near 4849 Sunnyvale Avenue, police mentioned.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we've got reached out to our partners to make them aware of the possible connection and ask for his or her assistance,” Garcia said. “This contains the FBI and member agencies of the Joint Terrorism Activity Power. We are also working with North Texas police partners to determine if this prison motion has or is taking place in their jurisdictions.”

Hair World Salon in Dallas, Could 12, 2022. A man opened hearth inside the hair salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three people.

Garcia mentioned police will likely be growing the presence of excessive visibility patrol officers in areas within the metropolis the place there are giant Asian American populations.

“We're turning to each resident of the town of Dallas to keep an eye fixed out and safeguard our city,” Garcia stated. “Hate has no place right here.”

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

ABC's Jim Ryan reviews:

ABC News' Invoice Hutchinson and contributed to this report.