The number of submissions grew steadily throughout the year, reaching a total of 2,800 by the end of 2020. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. It was heartbreaking. No one helped him because they thought he had Covid, Jeung says. A witness told the police they heard a voice shouting, Why you lookin at me? twice before hearing Ratanapakdee, prosecutors said. eventAction: 'click_ads' The day after Monthanus and Erics first TV appearance, San Franciscos district attorney charged Antoine Watson, the 19-year-old accused of shoving Vicha to death, with murder and elder abuse. San Francisco man to stand trial in death of Thai man, 84 - KCRA } Mom, you know what? Two days after the attack, Ms. Monthanus and her mother went to the spot where Mr. Vicha was killed and saw that his blood still stained the pavement. In reference to the alleged attacker Antoine Watson, Boudin told the Times that "It appears that the defendant was in some sort of a temper tantrum." . The alleged killer is Daly City resident Antoine Watson, who was 19 at the time of the seemingly unprovoked sidewalk attack in the Anza Vista neighborhood. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. In November, another old man spat in her direction as her sons rode their scooters by the bay. VIDEO: Suspect Arrested in Fatal Attack on 84-Year-Old SF Man - Breitbart In an unprovoked attack, Antoine Watson, 19, charged at Vichar Ratanapakdee, 84, on Thursday during the senior's morning walk. Why did this happen? More than 500 days after the incident, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Darwin ruled that the evidence presented by the District Attorney's Office is enough for a murder trial. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/17/magazine/vicha-ratanapakdee.html. And the fact that another human being would do that to an elderly senior in our community is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen," said the mayor. A few hours after speaking with the nurse, a doctor called to ask permission to insert a catheter into a vein in his neck and drill a small hole into his skull, to release pressure from bleeding. It was then that Mr. Vicha walked up Anzavista Avenue, a street with views of skyscrapers in the citys financial district. They asked the state attorney generals office to help them track what they believed to be a growing number of episodes. . Donations flooded into their GoFundMe page, and they blew past their goal of $10,000 within days. Suspect In Deadly Assault Of 84-Year-Old San Francisco Man - CBS News Before his third heart operation, Vicha debated whether to go through with the procedure; he wasnt sure if he would make it. },false) Its like continuing to use a screwdriver when you need to use a saw.. who was violently pushed and killed by Antoine Watson in . Ms. Monthanus says she and her family will charter a boat under the Golden Gate Bridge and scatter some into the Pacific Ocean. Shes lost her child.. Vicha was one of only a few people in the village who spoke English well, Mr. Surachai said. He died of a brain hemorrhage in a San Francisco hospital two days later. For the past two years, Monthanus had started taking care of her parents more intensely, after her mother was diagnosed with dementia and her father with three clogged arteries. SAN FRANCISCO - In two unrelated cases, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said his office has filed charges against Lawrence Thomas and Tyjone Flournoy for the murder of 76-year-old private investigator Jack Palladino, and Antoine Watson for the murder of 86-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee. }); On that morning a number of security cameras in the area captured Mr. Watson banging a car with his hand, according to Mr. Boudin, the district attorney. ALSO READ: San Francisco Mayor, Police Chief, DA Condemn Fatal Assaults On Seniors; Vow To Address Violence. After her sons Zoom classes on Jan. 28, Monthanus began to worry about where her father was. From the front row, Monthanus fixed her gaze on him as he walked slowly to a seat near the gallery. People use the "young teenager" label on him as an excuse to obviously protect him and his behavior. In Thailand, the killing was front-page news and described as barbaric, a life cut short in a family where siblings typically live into their late 90s, relatives say. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. Any other narrative is false, misleading, and divisive. Nawabi added that Watson comes from a biracial family background and had no knowledge of Mr. Ratanapakdees race or vulnerabilities since the elderly man was wearing a mask, hat, sweater and jeans. She shut the laptop and told Titus to leave the room. In San Francisco, where 36 percent of the population is of Asian descent, 16 percent of crime victims of known ethnicity were Asian, a similar situation to Alameda County. The suspects have been identified as Antoine Watson, 19, and Maylasia Goo, 20, both of . 84 Year-old Thai Man Brutally Attacked and Killed in San Francisco A long, thick tube protruded from Vichas head. Where did the assault happen? . eventAction: 'load' This is a hate crime.. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { The San Francisco District Attorney's office stated on Monday, February 8, that their detention plan to hold 19-year-old Antoine Watson without bail was granted by the court. San Francisco (BCN) . The man had accepted a plea agreement for domestic-violence charges, and afterward his victim asked the judge if she could say a few words. The San Francisco District Attorney's office told KPIX 5 on Monday that their detention motion to hold 19-year-old Antoine Watson without bail was granted by the court. Their younger son, Troy, a bright and playful 8-year-old who is autistic, had become more easily agitated during the lockdown and often stomped and shouted. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), The video was taken from the same angle as the clip that everyone saw, only this footage was longer. Monthanus Ratanapakdee praying for her father, Vicha, at the Nagara Dhamma Temple in San Francisco on Monday. Before sitting down, he glanced toward the back of the room and smiled when he recognized a young man. And in a way I kind of am. At the rallies they attended, every now and then a different Black man approached the microphone, or met with the couple on the sidelines, and tried his best to break the ice. A young man in a gas mask and a bulletproof vest said he had flown in from New York City after seeing the video. He was also on a waiting list to become a registered gun owner. There was no longer any way to ignore the violence that was happening to people who look like us., Antoine Watson, a 19-year-old resident of neighboring Daly City, was arrested two days after the attack and charged with murder and elder abuse. Shocking video shows attack that killed 84-year-old man in San - KRON4 Knowing what happened with SARS, how Asians were going to get shunned, harassed, he says, referring to the 2003 outbreak, I was just personally and sociologically alerted to racism., Jeung set up search alerts for Asian American and discrimination. The results confirmed his fears. My wife and I thought, Could it be? Jeung recalled. Former President Donald Trump repeatedly described the coronavirus or COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus," a reference to its outbreak from Wuhan, China. "These violent assaults have a devastating impact on our community as they are part of an alarming rise in anti-Asian American hate during the COVID-19 pandemic," Stop AAPI Hate co foundersManjusha Kulkarni and Cynthia Choi said in a joint statement. Less than 24 hours later, a spokesman for the Cherokee County sheriff reduced the rampage to the act of a sex addict having a really bad day; then it was revealed that the same spokesman reportedly promoted T-shirts calling the coronavirus an IMPORTED VIRUS FROM CHY-NA. The rage boiled over. When they got home, he pulled out her phone, and instead of putting on his usual cartoons, he scrolled through her photos. But what brought her out to the rallies, more than anything, was her desire for someone to answer for the loss of her father. Monthanus wondered at first, her mind thick with shock. The stories filled Monthanus with questions. She had learned small details about the suspect from her initial conversations with the police: male, 19 years old, African American. Im fine, even if hes in a wheelchair or doesnt wake up, she said. Theres been a half-million deaths. In each case, the suspects were Black. In a New York Times article, Boudin says Antoine Watson was having "some sort of temper tantrum," a term more often used to describe toddlers, ABC7 reported. The trust-building really took us 10 years, Wan says. Monthanus agreed, even as her worry turned to panic. The way he greeted her with relief when she came home late from work. A photograph of Vicha Ratanapakdee that hangs in his daughters home.CreditKevin Kunishi for The New York Times. All rights reserved. The grandmother of a teen who senselessly pushed and killed a Thai grandfather has said her grandson should walk free. But in practice, proving bias is difficult, especially when theres no explicit expression of it. A petite 84-year-old with soft white hair, Vicha Ratanapakdee was a lifelong Buddhist, the kind of person who embraced the world with open arms. March 3, 2023 12:27 pm ET. The suspect was booked on suspicion of murder, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon, KTVU reported. She told her husband, Eric Lawson, who rushed home from the restaurant where he worked. }); The future me, the real me, says, I wish we could forgive everybody, and everybody should acknowledge this bad thing happened. And right now it feels like, maybe, his family sees me as an enemy. Walking was how he explored San Francisco when he first arrived there from Thailand in 2000, to spend a year with Monthanus while she attended business school, and again in 2018, to help take care of her two sons. (Eric, who worked at two restaurants as a server and manager before the pandemic, was on unemployment.) Lucas Manfredi is a general assignment reporter for Fox News. Just who is it attacking Asian Americans? | Washington Examiner That evening, the couple stood at the doorway to her fathers room on the third-floor intensive-care unit. Since his retirement in 1996 from Kasikornbank, one of Thailands largest financial institutions, Mr. Vicha had traveled between San Francisco, where his eldest daughter lives, and Thailand, where his youngest does. We said, Dad, we are going to go back soon! Ms. Monthanus recalled. Then, on March 16, a white gunman in the Atlanta area drove to several businesses and shot eight people to death. If Watson is convicted of murder, he could face 25 years to life in state prison. In March, Jeung says, Stop AAPI Hate received roughly 2,800 reports, about the same number he received in all of 2020. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. The Oakland attacks came as many in the Bay Area began changing their social media photos to bring awareness to the seemingly unprovoked killing of an 84-year-old Thai man in San Francisco last month. A San Francisco judge has ruled that a man accused of killing an 84-year-old Thai grandfather will stand trial. He was arrested along with Maylasia Goo, 20 . . They sailed toward the Golden Gate Bridge, the choppy waters jostling them as they chanted the Five Precepts. ga('ads.send', { I have this weird, stupid fantasy, Eric said. Then Came a Brutal Attack. She wanted to be strong for her sons, but she had trouble sleeping at night and broke into tears unexpectedly. There was no longer any way to ignore the violence that was happening to people who look like us, Mr. Ham said. A.Cecil Williams told The New York Times in an article about the 2010 protest. Its still there. San Francisco police have arrested 19-year-old Antoine Watson of Dale City on suspicion of murder, along with Malaysia Goo, 20, for allegedly serving as an accessory after the attack. Suspect to stand trial for shoving death of Vicha Ratanapakdee "You will be held accountable by both the police and the District Attorney. Antoine, he shouted, holding up the baby. arrested and chargedwith murder and elder abuse. Throughout 2020, multiple strangers had come at her seemingly out of nowhere. Titus, dressed in a black suit and a pair of his grandfathers leather loafers that fit tight around his growing feet, chased his little brother around the deck. She never got to decide. Even without much publicity, we have already received a strong response from the community, who want their voices heard, Jeung wrote in the groups first report. In order to raise 10 children in the San Francisco Bay Area, we should assume Antoine Watson's parents make at least $300,000 a year. SAN FRANCISCO, CAA San Francisco African-American teen accused of murdering 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee in January 2021 was ordered to stand trial, a judge ruled Friday.. Anita Nabha, 20-year-old Antoine Watson's attorney, said he was distressed after a "stressful encounter with police hours earlier" and may not have known the man was elderly, reports the San . As she replayed the footage again and again, Monthanus kept coming back to the same conclusion. Confronting anti-Asian violence, hate crimes, and killings in San The day after Monthanus and Eric's first TV appearance, San Francisco's district attorney charged Antoine Watson, the 19-year-old accused of shoving Vicha to death, with murder and elder abuse . He was the one who encouraged her to go to the United States, the reason she started her life here. The whole family is in deep agony, Jennifer Steiner, a longtime friend whom Antoines mother chose to speak on her behalf, told me. A close friend, also searching, sent her two links that vaguely mentioned Vicha, including an article published in Chinese by KTSF, a local outlet serving a primarily Chinese American audience. She worried how the exposure affected her sons. He left his home because of a family dispute and got in a traffic accident in San Francisco at 2 a.m. How could it have been prevented? I killed Dad.. Today she had prepared a speech and printed a few copies to distribute to reporters. As she watched the parade of flowers and ashes float out to sea, she spoke to him. Otherwise youre going to have that forever. Watson is accused in the deadly attack of Vicha Ratanapakdee in the city's Anza Vista neighborhood on January 28. Suspect arrested in deadly attack on 84-year-old man in San Francisco Eric held her, and she held her sons. SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) - An 84-year-old California man is dead after a seemingly random daylight attack in the Anza Vista neighborhood of San Francisco, video from ABC 7 News shows. For his grieving family, the reckoning hasnt gone far enough. Legal Statement. For Sarah Wan, a community organizer who has been helping victims of violence in San Francisco, the debate brought back memories from 2010, when hundreds gathered outside City Hall to protest a series of similar reports. In April, while patrolling San Franciscos Chinatown, a former mayor and son of immigrants from Taishan and Hong Kong pointed to the bank across the street and told me his mother was mugged there a few years ago. 84-year-old Thai grandfather brutally pushed over and killed by Some assailants have yelled slurs while throwing a punch or slashing at their victims with a knife. She debated whether to show it to her mother, who had become more fragile after a recent stroke. }) Two arrested in connection with death of 84-year-old man in SF - SFGATE Teen Who Pushed Elderly Thai Man to His Death Pleads Not Guilty to Murder / CBS San Francisco. Or is this my trauma? I think he has to pay for what he did. The San Francisco Chronicle reports supporters of the victim's family packed the courtroom wearing "justice for Vicha" t-shirts.. Video of the incident went viral and came to symbolize the spike in anti-Asian hate, although the San Francisco District Attorney . Six of the victims two women of Chinese descent, four women of Korean descent worked at the businesses targeted by the gunman, an unequivocal sign for many of those watching that he acted out of hatred, misogyny and racism. People Are Changing Their Profile Photos to Drawing of Thai Man Pushed San Francisco police arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder following a recent attack on an 84-year-old man in the Anza Vista neighborhood. She wasnt sure if Troy even knew what was happening. In the Bay Area, where Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up a quarter of the population, stories like Vichas sparked at least two opposing narratives. Teen Who Pushed Elderly Thai Man to His Death Pleads Not Guilty to Body camera footage of the encounter led officers to identify Watson and a female associate he was with at the time of the assault. This image from CCTV footage shows the moment Vicha Ratanapakdee was fatally attacked in Anza Vista, San Francisco. Through her organization, Hollins, who lost two brothers to homicide in the last decade, assists victims of crime and lobbies to increase support services provided by the state. $300,000 a year is roughly what a family of four needs to earn to live a middle-class lifestyle in the Bay Area. Antoine Watson appears in court during a previous hearing. ", When asked outside the courtroom what she wanted to see happen, Watson's grandmother said, "To see him walk out this door like I'm walking out right now.". After her father died, Monthanus had given up her night job processing customs paperwork for an import-export company to help watch the kids. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin hassparked outrage on social mediaafter telling the New York Times that 19-year-old AntoineWatsonwas "in some sort of a temper tantrum" when he allegedly attacked84-year-oldThai immigrant Vichar Ratanapakdee. In each instance, the bystanders appeared to do nothing. Since her fathers death, she and Eric agreed that no one would go out at night without him. SAN FRANCISCOAntoine Watson, 19, who was arrested on January 30 for the deadly assault on an elderly man, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, was held without bail after a court hearing on Monday, February 8. He washed his face, put on a baseball cap and face mask and told his wife he would have the coffee she had prepared for him when he returned. Man, 84, killed by teen in bizarre and disturbing broad-daylight - WKRC District Attorney responds to the . Officers discovered an 84-year-old man lying on the sidewalk, rendered aid and summoned medics to transport the victim to a hospital for life-threatening injuries. Man accused of fatally shoving Vicha Ratanapakdee enters preliminary Im going to take care of you. But, we can't solve a problem without knowing how big it is,"San Francisco assemblymember and chair of the state's budget committee,Phil Ting, said in a statement. Monthanus knew she should find a counselor for herself, too. [1] [2] [3] The assault was captured on a CCTV camera . }); District Attorney Chesa Boudin has said Goo was seated in the car and played no apparent role in the attack. The weeks went on, and Monthanus and Eric sank deeper into their grief as their suspicions mounted toward homicide investigators, who never seemed able to give a straight answer; toward the district attorney, who seemed to put his interests before theirs; and toward Antoine Watson, about whom they knew little beyond the gaping hole he left in their lives. window.adsContainer = {"positionAfterTitle":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position2":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position3":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Below_Next_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle1_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle2_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position7":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle3_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle4_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position10":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle6_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position11":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle7_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position12":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle8_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position13":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle9_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position14":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle10_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position15":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle11_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position16":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle12_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"positionTop":{"code":"Article_Desktop_970x250_Header_Rel","isOrganicUserAd":false,"max_width":970,"max_height":250},"positionBottom":{"code":"Article_Desktop_Sidebar_Bottom_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":300,"max_height":600},"positionBottomRight":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280}} But once he does, we should work out some kind of situation where we could forgive somehow and move on with our life. hitType: 'event', When we go to the beach we can dream that he is with us., She plans to bring the other urn back to her fathers hometown in southern Thailand, where the local Buddhist temple has a stupa that holds the familys remains. One witness at the scene told officers that he saw a Black male, 18 to 30 years old, approach and stand over an elderly man lying on the ground. All rights reserved. The San Francisco District Attorneys office stated on Monday, February 8, that their detention plan to hold 19-year-old Antoine Watson without bail was granted by the court. During the pandemic, Vicha usually left the house before 8 a.m. and made it back before his grandsons started their Zoom classes. "Look, I believe in second chances. Its the everyday little microaggressions and little nuances thats harder to tackle.. Activists Protest 'White Supremacy' After Black Man Arrested For Attack She was a Thai immigrant living in Alameda a diverse town, she said. San Francisco police were quickly able to identify Watson as the assault suspect. But maybe were going to be hurt forever anyway.. Breed went on to say that she was appearing with both Chief Scott and District Attorney Boudin to say that violence in San Francisco would not be tolerated and that any perpetrators would "be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," especially those who targeted children or the elderly. An assailant, later identified by police as 19-year-old Antoine Watson, came barreling . San Francisco's chief prosecutor addressed the January death of Vicha Ratanapakdee at a time when many Asian Americans feel targeted based on their race. Monthanus didnt hesitate. Among Asian-Americans, many of whom have endured racist taunts, rants and worse during the coronavirus pandemic, the killing of a defenseless older man became a rallying cry. Verbal harassment made up 70.9% of incidents while shunning or avoidance comprised 21.4% of the incidents. This arrest data includes all information on current and previous arrests for Antoine Watson Now that Mr. Vicha Ratanapakdee has died of his injuries, prosecution for this murderous hate crime is the only path to justice and community safety. Later, as more information trickled in, Eric changed stolen vehicle to a car disabled by an earlier hit-and-run; he also replaced thug with adult male, after watching an episode of S.W.A.T. in which a Black cop explained the words racist undertones to his partner. Monthanus and Eric voted for him. Four of the victims were Sikh, prompting calls to examine whether the gunman was motivated by bias. Watson and his associate, 20-year-old Malaysia Goo, were arrested on January 30, 2021. After reading about an Asian American teenager in the Los Angeles area who was hospitalized in February after being bullied about Covid, Jeung contacted colleagues at two advocacy groups in California. ga('ads.send', { In March, a man waving a Laotian flag told a small crowd at a protest in San Mateo, Calif., that Vicha reminded him of his grandparents, who collected cans to get by, which was why he decided to go on the front lines and patrol Chinatown in Oakland. San Francisco police say their suspect Antoine Watson, 19, attacked the senior along Anza Vista and Fortuna Avenues Thursday morning. Mourners have left flowers and condolences by a garage door at the spot where Mr. Vicha was attacked in the Anza Vista neighborhood of San Francisco. In several prime-time interviews, including on Nightline and CNN, Eric went on to suggest that Vichas death was not a random outlier but a result of one race targeting another. He was cited by the San Francisco police for running a stop sign and reckless driving and then slept that night in his car.