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

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

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

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

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

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

"During our investigation, detectives discovered that two years in the past Smith had a motorized vehicle crash with an Asian male," Garcia said. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic attacks and delusions when he is round anybody 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. Attorney’s Office 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 workplace in Dallas informed ABC Information on Monday. "We are in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to thoroughly investigate this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to comment further at this time."

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

Two of the shooting victims – the owner and an worker – have been present at the assembly, in response to WFAA. The employee spoke with the help of an interpreter and her was face coated. The women didn't reveal their names.

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

"At the moment, there have been no arrests on those circumstances," Garcia stated, including that the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes days after Garcia announced during a Friday press convention that legislation enforcement “concluded three current shootings of Asian run businesses may be related.” The suspect in each incident was driving an analogous car.

This photo exhibits the interior of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, Could 12, 2022. Police are in search of a person who opened fireplace inside the salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three folks.

Police said they realized from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what appeared to be "a darkish shade minivan-type vehicle" on Royal Lane and then walked across the car parking zone and into the institution, allegedly opening hearth 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 capturing at the salon is perhaps linked to 1 that happened a day earlier than and one that occurred final month.

Police discovered from witness stories that on April 2, a driver in a pink minivan drove past a strip mall of Asian-run companies 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 close to 4849 Sunnyvale Avenue, police mentioned.

“Out of an abundance of warning, we now have reached out to our companions to make them aware of the possible connection and ask for their help,” Garcia mentioned. “This consists of the FBI and member companies of the Joint Terrorism Task Power. We are additionally working with North Texas police companions to find out if this criminal motion has or is happening of their jurisdictions.”

Hair World Salon in Dallas, Might 12, 2022. A man opened fire contained in the hair salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three folks.

Garcia said police shall be rising the presence of high visibility patrol officers in areas within the metropolis the place there are large Asian American populations.

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

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

ABC's Jim Ryan reports:

ABC News' Invoice Hutchinson and contributed to this report.