US police search for man accused of assaulting restaurant worker and using anti-Asian slurs
- Police said two employees approached the man outside the restaurant after he left without paying his bill
- When one employee began recording the man, he pushed the other employee to the ground and ran off, police said
Authorities in a Virginia suburb of Washington, DC say they are seeking to arrest a man who reportedly left a restaurant without paying, used racial slurs when confronted by two Asian-American workers and assaulted one of them.
Arlington County Police said in a news release on Saturday that officers were called to the unspecified restaurant earlier in the week for a report of an assault.
Police said the arriving officers determined the suspect had left without paying his bill. Two employees approached him outside the restaurant and asked him to pay, according to police. But the suspect continued walking away and when one employee began recording him, he pushed the other employee to the ground and ran off, the release said.
Later, as detectives were investigating the incident, they were told the suspect used racial slurs towards the employees. The incident was reported to Virginia State Police as a possible hate crime, according to the news release. The assault victim did not require medical treatment.
The incident comes amid a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that has prompted congressional action.