Arrest made after attack on Asian-American Lyft driver in LA was caught on video
- Driver was robbed of more than US$1,500 and struck in the face with a gun
- Sheriff’s Department investigating whether robbery was a hate crime
A man has been arrested for allegedly pistol-whipping and robbing an Asian-American Lyft driver in a Los Angeles suburb during an attack caught on video, authorities announced Wednesday.
The arrest for the May 10 attack in South El Monte was to be discussed Thursday afternoon in a news conference by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Paul Liao, 67, was robbed of more than US$1,500 in cash and struck twice in the face with a gun during the attack, which was captured by the car’s camera.
Liao told KCBS-TV that the gunman slid into his back seat at a petrol station where Liao had washed his car and was awaiting his next ride. He managed to dissuade the man from stealing the car.
Liao, who is from Taiwan, suffered a bloody nose. He said the robber asked if he came from China.