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 said.

17 Might 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 in the city's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and might be linked to a series of recent shootings at Asian-run businesses within the metropolis, police said.

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

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia identified 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.

"Throughout our investigation, detectives learned 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 around anyone of Asian descent."

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

"The Dallas FBI Field Office, 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 area office in Dallas informed ABC Information on Monday. "We're in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to completely investigate this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we aren't capable of comment further at this time."

Police met with neighborhood members at a town corridor in Koreatown on Monday amid concerns for the general public's security.

Two of the taking pictures victims – the proprietor and an worker – have been current at the meeting, in response to WFAA. The employee 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 different shootings that may be linked to the salon taking pictures.

"At this time, there have been no arrests on these instances," Garcia mentioned, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

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

This photo shows the inside of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, Might 12, 2022. Police are on the lookout for a man who opened hearth contained in the salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three folks.

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

Police additionally released a security picture of a maroon minivan they said the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia mentioned the taking pictures at the salon might be linked to 1 that occurred a day earlier than and one which passed off last month.

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

And on May 10, a suspect in a burgundy van or automotive drove by and shot into Asian-run businesses close to 4849 Sunnyvale Street, police mentioned.

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

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

Garcia said police might be increasing the presence of excessive visibility patrol officers in areas in the metropolis where there are giant Asian American populations.

“We're turning to every resident of the city of Dallas to maintain an eye out and safeguard our city,” Garcia mentioned. “Hate has no place right here.”

These incidents in Dallas come amid a spate of assaults concentrating on Asian Americans throughout the nation, which spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC's Jim Ryan stories:

ABC Information' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.