While the wave of robberies targeting Asian Americans in the Sacramento area has declined in some neighborhoods like Oak Park, where police have concentrated resources, crime and fear have increased in other Asian neighborhoods like Meadowview, Fruitridge, and Pocket, to the point where Asian Americans are arming themselves. Police have arrested more than 50 in connection with the targeted robberies (up from 20 reported in October 2016), but the problems have continued. “Part of the issue is the language barrier and not having the right tools to contact Police,” said Sgt Bryce Heinlein. “They’re coming home and being targeted as they’re getting out of their cars, being approached from behind normally, and the suspects are armed.” Elderly people are more likely to be targets, reports John Fan, a detective with Sacramento’s Central division.
Sacramento police have not revealed many details about the arrested suspects, but say that most are young men in their teens and their twenties and are of various racial backgrounds. Almost all are armed during the robberies. In this article where police debriefed the community and gave pointers on avoiding and reporting crimes, police said that the arrested robbers claim that attacks weren’t racially motivated but that “Asians people have money.”
