By David K. Li - NBC News
A 39-year-old white male was arrested in connection with the assaults of two Asians in downtown San Francisco.
The man had to be treated on a stretcher after one of the victims apparently defended himself, according to police.
Steven Jenkins was charged by authorities with
six criminal charges
, two for assault likely to lead to serious bodily injury;
Assault with serious bodily injury and elder abuse, according to San Francisco County Jail records.
The assaults began around 10 am Wednesday when "Jenkins approached the male victim and assaulted her" near 7th and Market streets, according to a San Francisco police statement.
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"The assault was reported to the security guard, who pursued Jenkins on foot," the police statement said.
"As Jenkins fled, he assaulted the female victim. The security guard was able to detain Jenkins until officers arrived."
Footage from the aftermath shows 75-year-old Xiao Zhen Xie, bruised, with a cane in hand and being held from pursuing Jenkins, who was tied to a stretcher and bleeding from the mouth.
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"He hit me, he hit me," the woman yelled in a Taiwanese dialect before calling out a rude expletive.
Another man, also in Taiwanese, stopped her and said, “Don't go.
Just don't go. "
The woman's grandson, John Chen, said he has two black eyes and has trouble seeing with his right eye.
"These times are not good for a normal stroll down the street, especially for the Asian elderly, who have been attacked a lot," he told NBC Bay Area.
"She is still suffering from pretty serious trauma."
The woman's daughter, May Li, said she was horrified to see the increase in attacks against Asians, particularly older victims who are often hit in the face.
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"People always hit older people, and why? They always hit the eye. You see all older people are hurt around the eye. I don't understand," he lamented.
The 83-year-old victim, Knoc Pham, was taken to a hospital with an injured face and a fractured neck.
Jenkins, who is being held in the county jail on a $ 50,000 bond, has a hearing with the judge on Friday afternoon.
It was unclear if Jenkins had an attorney.
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Attacks on Asian Americans have skyrocketed in the past year, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and racist language linking the coronavirus to people of Asian descent.
In San Francisco, Police Capt.Julian Ng said his department will increase its presence in Asian neighborhoods in hopes of allaying community fears.
They will use bike patrols and even SWAT officers, he said.