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

The incident could also be related to shootings at Asian-run businesses, police said.

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

Dallas police arrested a suspect in connection with the Could 11 capturing of three women 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 within the city, 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 women suffered nonfatal injuries and had been transported to an area hospital, based on police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia identified 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 in the past Smith had a motor vehicle crash with an Asian male," Garcia mentioned. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic attacks and delusions when he's around anybody of Asian descent."

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

"The Dallas FBI Area Office, the U.S. Attorney’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 discipline workplace in Dallas instructed ABC News on Monday. "We are in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering collectively to thoroughly examine this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we're not in a position to comment further right now."

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

Two of the shooting victims – the owner and an employee – were current at the meeting, according to WFAA. The employee spoke with the help of an interpreter and her was face coated. The women did not reveal their names.

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

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

The arrest comes days after Garcia announced throughout a Friday press convention that legislation enforcement “concluded three current shootings of Asian run companies may be linked.” The suspect in every incident was driving an analogous automobile.

This picture shows the inside of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, Might 12, 2022. Police are searching for a person who opened hearth contained in the salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three individuals.

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

Police additionally launched a security image of a maroon minivan they mentioned the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia said the shooting at the salon is likely to be linked to at least one that occurred a day earlier than and one that occurred last month.

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

And on May 10, a suspect in a burgundy van or car drove by and shot into Asian-run companies near 4849 Sunnyvale Road, police stated.

“Out of an abundance of warning, we've got reached out to our companions to make them aware of the potential connection and ask for their help,” Garcia said. “This consists of the FBI and member agencies of the Joint Terrorism Process Drive. We're also working with North Texas police partners to determine if this criminal action has or is happening of their jurisdictions.”

Hair World Salon in Dallas, Might 12, 2022. A person opened fireplace contained in the hair salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three people.

Garcia mentioned police might be growing the presence of high visibility patrol officers in areas in the city where there are giant Asian American populations.

“We are turning to each resident of the city of Dallas to keep an eye fixed out and safeguard our metropolis,” Garcia said. “Hate has no place here.”

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

ABC's Jim Ryan reviews:

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.