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

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

17 Might 2022, 21:08

• 7 min read

Dallas police arrested a suspect in reference to the Might 11 capturing of three ladies in a hair salon in the city's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and could possibly be linked to a sequence of recent shootings at Asian-run companies in the city, police mentioned.

The victims, the salon owner, an worker and a customer, are all Korean, in keeping with ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The ladies suffered nonfatal injuries and have been transported to an area hospital, in keeping with police.

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

"Throughout our investigation, detectives realized that two years ago Smith had a motor vehicle 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 Division and the FBI are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

"The Dallas FBI Discipline Workplace, the U.S. Legal professional’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 office in Dallas told ABC News on Monday. "We're in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to completely investigate this incident. As that is an ongoing investigation, we aren't able to comment further at this time."

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

Two of the shooting victims – the proprietor and an worker – have been current on the assembly, in keeping with WFAA. The employee spoke with the assistance of an interpreter and her was face coated. The women did not reveal their names.

Garcia mentioned that police proceed to research two other shootings that may be linked to the salon shooting.

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

The arrest comes days after Garcia announced during a Friday press conference that law enforcement “concluded three current shootings of Asian run businesses could also be linked.” The suspect in each incident was driving an identical automobile.

This picture reveals the inside of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police are searching for a person who opened hearth inside 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 gave the impression to be "a dark shade minivan-type automobile" on Royal Lane after which walked throughout the parking zone and into the institution, allegedly opening fireplace as quickly as he entered the salon.

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

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

Police discovered from witness reports that on April 2, a driver in a crimson minivan drove past a strip mall of Asian-run businesses and fired pictures at three companies. Nobody was injured.

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

“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 assistance,” Garcia stated. “This includes the FBI and member companies of the Joint Terrorism Process Drive. We are additionally working with North Texas police companions to determine if this felony action has or is going down in their jurisdictions.”

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

Garcia mentioned police will likely be increasing the presence of high visibility patrol officers in areas within the city the place there are large Asian American populations.

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

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

ABC's Jim Ryan studies:

ABC News' Invoice Hutchinson and contributed to this report.