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

The incident may be related to shootings at Asian-run businesses, police stated.

17 Might 2022, 21:08

• 7 min read

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

The victims, the salon proprietor, an worker and a buyer, are all Korean, in line with ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The ladies suffered nonfatal injuries and have been transported to a local hospital, in accordance with police.

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

"Throughout our investigation, detectives discovered that two years in the past Smith had a motor vehicle crash with an Asian male," Garcia said. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic assaults and delusions when he is around anybody of Asian descent."

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

"The Dallas FBI Discipline Workplace, the U.S. Lawyer’s Office 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 field workplace in Dallas advised ABC Information on Monday. "We're in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering collectively to completely examine this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we aren't able to comment 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 owner and an employee – have been current at the meeting, according to WFAA. The employee spoke with the help of an interpreter and her was face lined. The women didn't reveal their names.

Garcia stated that police proceed to research two different shootings that may be linked to the salon capturing.

"Presently, there have been no arrests on these instances," Garcia mentioned, including that the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes days after Garcia introduced during a Friday press convention that regulation enforcement “concluded three recent shootings of Asian run businesses could also be linked.” The suspect in each incident was driving a similar car.

This photograph exhibits the inside of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police are searching for a person who opened fireplace contained in the salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three individuals.

Police mentioned they discovered from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what appeared to be "a darkish coloration minivan-type car" on Royal Lane and then walked across the car parking zone and into the establishment, allegedly opening fireplace as quickly as he entered the salon.

Police additionally released a safety picture of a maroon minivan they mentioned the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia mentioned the shooting at the salon could be linked to one that happened a day before and one which occurred final month.

Police learned from witness stories that on April 2, a driver in a crimson minivan drove previous a strip mall of Asian-run businesses and fired photographs at three companies. No one was injured.

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

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

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

Garcia stated police might be increasing the presence of high visibility patrol officers in areas in the city where there are large Asian American populations.

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

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

ABC's Jim Ryan stories:

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.