Suspect recognized in Dallas salon taking pictures as FBI opens hate crime investigation

The incident may be linked to shootings at Asian-run companies, police mentioned.

17 May 2022, 21:08

• 7 min read

Dallas police arrested a suspect in connection with the Might 11 taking pictures of three women in a hair salon in the metropolis's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and could be linked to a collection of current shootings at Asian-run companies in the city, police stated.

The victims, the salon owner, an worker and a customer, are all Korean, in accordance with ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The women suffered nonfatal accidents and were 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 conference on Tuesday. Garcia mentioned that Smith was charged with three counts of aggravated assault.

"Throughout our investigation, detectives discovered that two years ago Smith had a motorized 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 Subject Workplace, 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 office in Dallas told ABC News on Monday. "We're in shut communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to totally examine this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we're not able to comment additional presently."

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

Two of the shooting victims – the proprietor and an employee – had been current on the meeting, in line with WFAA. The employee spoke with the assistance of an interpreter and her was face lined. The women didn't reveal their names.

Garcia said that police proceed to research two different shootings that may be linked to the salon shooting.

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

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

This photograph exhibits the interior of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, Could 12, 2022. Police are in search of a person who opened hearth contained in the salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three individuals.

Police stated they learned from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what gave the impression to be "a dark coloration minivan-type vehicle" on Royal Lane and then walked throughout the parking lot and into the institution, allegedly opening fire as quickly as he entered the salon.

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

Garcia stated the shooting on the salon could be linked to at least one that happened a day before and one which passed off last month.

Police realized from witness reviews that on April 2, a driver in a red minivan drove previous 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 automobile drove by and shot into Asian-run businesses near 4849 Sunnyvale Avenue, police stated.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we now have reached out to our partners to make them conscious of the possible connection and ask for his or her assistance,” Garcia mentioned. “This includes the FBI and member agencies of the Joint Terrorism Activity Force. We are also working with North Texas police companions to find out if this criminal action has or is happening of their jurisdictions.”

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

Garcia stated police will likely be increasing the presence of excessive visibility patrol officers in areas in the metropolis the place there are giant Asian American populations.

“We are turning to every resident of town of Dallas to maintain a watch out and safeguard our city,” Garcia said. “Hate has no place here.”

These incidents in Dallas come amid a spate of attacks focusing on Asian Individuals across the nation, which spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC's Jim Ryan stories:

ABC Information' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.