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Surveillance footage shows the encounter between the police officer and the suspect, who turned around and attacked her as she was searching him. Photo: San Francisco Police Officers Association via Twitter

Asian policewoman attacked in San Francisco in possible hate crime

  • The officer was wrestled to the ground and punched in the head after responding to a call about a man threatening people in Chinatown
  • Video footage shows four men rushing to help, hitting suspect Gerardo Contreras and trying to pull him off the victim

A San Francisco police officer responding to a call about a man making threats to people in Chinatown was attacked by the suspect, who was later arrested on assault and hate crime charges, authorities said.

Surveillance video showed the female officer, who is of Asian descent, approach Gerardo Contreras on Friday and tell him to turn around and put his hands on his head.

The 33-year-old turned around, but while the officer puts on plastic gloves before patting him down, he turned back to face her and shoved her and then wrestled with her on the ground.

The video first made public by the San Francisco Police Officers Association showed four men rushing to help, hitting Contreras and trying to pull him off the officer as he punches her in the head and face. Soon afterward, other officers arrived and arrested Contreras, who is apparently homeless with mental health issues and a record of prior arrests.

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Asian policewoman attacked in San Francisco in possible hate crime

Asian policewoman attacked in San Francisco in possible hate crime

It was not immediately known if Contreras has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.

The attack comes amid a wave of assaults against Asian-Americans in San Francisco and across the country since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the US.

The officer has worked for the department for five years and suffered bumps and bruises, Tony Montoya, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Man charged with hate crime for assault in New York’s Chinatown

Police spokesman Robert Rueca confirmed the assault to the newspaper, saying, “We are not confirming the suspect’s statements toward witnesses or the Asian female officer. Our investigation is looking at aspects of this assault on the officer, which includes a possible hate crime and motive.”

Michael Waldorf had just finished eating dinner with his family when he saw the attack and jumped in with others to help the officer.

“He’s a big guy; he was not letting go. He had a death grip on her. And he was not letting go,” Waldorf told KGO-TV.

“I saw it as an emergency. She needed our help, and she needed it right away,” he said.

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