Mother and Son Arrested in Thefts Targeting Elderly Asians

The burglars are allegedly part of an organized group connected to nearly thirty incidents.



In Southern California, a mother and son duo have been arrested in connection with a string of nearly thirty robberies and distraction thefts targeting elderly Asian people over the last six months.

47-year-old Floarea Ghiocel and her son, 32-year-old Marius Ghiocel, were arrested on suspicion of robbery related to approximately 28 incidents over the past six months. According to Garden Grove police, the two are allegedly part of a group of Romanian travelers responsible for the robberies, all following a similar pattern.

In each case, the burglars targeted elderly Asian people with expensive jewelry. The burglars would approach the victims, remove the jewelry and replace it with a similar fake piece.

More here: Mother and son arrested in string of robberies and thefts targeting elderly Asian people

Neighbors Set Up Nightly Watch to Stop Racist Harassment

Has it really come down neighbors setting up watch outside our homes to deter racist harassment? Yes.



Neighbors Help Stop Harassment Of Asian American Family
In the Orange County community of Ladera Ranch, neighbors have been taking nightly shifts to protect a local family from a series of ongoing anti-Asian attacks. Home security video shows teens running up to Haijun Si's home, pounding on the door and at times flashing light in the camera to prevent them from being identified. Si says others have thrown rocks at the home, hurled racial insults, and left pornography at her front door. Police have apparently been called to the home several times, but the attacks have persisted. The only thing that's helped has been neighbors, organized through social media, setting up camp outside the home to deter the harassment. Has is really come to this?

"Go back to Asia and eat a dog."

21-year-old man jumped, beaten in hate crime assault at OC Night Market.



Hate crime alert. Orange County authorities are searching for a white couple who assaulted a 21-year-old Asian American college student in the parking lot of a recent OC Night Market event in Costa Mesa, following an earlier incident in which one of the assailants told the victim, "Go back to Asia and eat a dog."

Asian Man Assaulted By White Couple After Racist Taunts in Costa Mesa

The altercation started on Sunday evening when two white women approached the victim, who was standing in line, and tried to get him to buy them drinks. When he refused, one of the women told him to "Go back to Asia and eat a dog," among other not-so-nice remarks. Because, yes, racist taunts are the totally reasonable response to someone refusing to buy you drinks.

She reportedly got up in the victim's face and when he pushed her away for some space, another man charged and punched him in the face. Security responded and escorted the couple out of the OC Night Market.

But later that evening, as the victim and his girlfriend were walking back to his car after the event, he was confronted and attacked by the duo we will from this point on refer to as the Violently Racist Couple. They had apparently been waiting for him to leave, followed him back to his car, and jumped him.

"The moment I got to my car, a black sedan pulled up," the victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells the OC Weekly. "The guy immediately went after me and everything else was a blur."

The victim suffered bruises and lacerations to his face requiring stitches, and several chipped teeth. The victim's girlfriend was also punched in the face when she tried to intervene. According to witnesses, the Violently Racist Couple drove off in a black sedan, but not before the guy yelled some more anti-Asian slurs while hanging out of the passenger side window. Well, that's classy as shit.

The victim's friend posted details about assault on Facebook, along with a photo from the emergency room.

Korean church vandalized with swastikas

Police are investigating the graffiti as a possible hate crime.



In Orange County, police are investigating a possible hate crime after a Korean American church was vandalized with swastikas, German writing and other graffiti early Sunday morning.

Buena Park church vandalized with swastikas

Members of the True Light Christian Church in Buena Park found the church's outside walls tagged in red spray paint with the phrase "mein Ehrenheit" ("my honor"), a broken heart with the words "toxic love," as well as several swastikas. Because your racist scrawling just isn't complete without a fucking swastika.

Man charged in hate crime assault with metal pipe

Christopher Qu arrested for attacking an African American man and his teenage brother.



What the hell. In Irvine, California, a 24-year-old man was arrested last week for committing a hate crime after assaulting an African American man and using racial slurs against his teenage brother.

Man with Metal Pipe Arrested for Hate Crime in front of Irvine High School: Cops

On Wednesday, the 16-year-old Irvine High School student was waiting for his brother to pick him up after sports practice. As the teen's 24-year-old brother drove up the school, the student was approached by Christopher Qu, who was carrying a metal pipe.

According to Irvine police, Qu -- who neither of the brothers knew -- began saying racial slurs and aggressively walking toward the teen. The student's brother got out of his car to intervene, but he was head-butted by Qu and struck several times with the pipe.

Who is spray-painting this racist graffiti in Garden Grove?

The phrase "South Viet Whores" has been found tagged in multiple locations around the area.



Straight outta Orange County... this photo was submitted by a reader who says they spotted this racist graffiti on Newland Street near Trask Avenue in Garden Grove. It seems that the author feels a certain way about "South Viet Whores" and "Chinese Fuckes" and decided to publicly express that sentiment with spray paint.

This photo was taken on Monday, but evidence suggests that the graffiti has perhaps been there for at least a month. Several Twitter mentions indicate that the "South Viet Whores" tag has been spotted elsewhere in the vicinity, including on Bolsa Avenue and at the H Mart on Garden Grove Blvd, at least as early as last August.

Two remaining jail escapees captured in San Francisco

Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu were apprehended after their van was spotted in a Whole Foods parking lot.



All three of the inmates who broke out of an Orange County jail more than a week ago, launching a statewide manhunt, are back in custody. One of the men turned himself in on Friday, while the other two escapees were apprehended in San Francisco on Saturday after a citizen who recognized their vehicle tipped off police.

Man tipped police to jail escapees' stolen van in S.F. parking lot near Whole Foods

37-year-old Hossein Nayeri and 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu were captured on Saturday morning after a citizen in San Francisco alerted police officers about a suspicious person and a vehicle, matching the description of a stolen white van associated with the fugitives, in a Whole Foods Market parking lot.

Orange County jail escapee surrenders to police

Bac Duong has been taken into custody. Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu remain at large.



Bac Duong, one of three inmates who escaped from an Orange County jail last week, sparking a region-wide manhunt, is in custody after surrendering to police on Friday. The two other inmates remain at large.

1 of 3 Orange County jail escapees surrenders to police

Duong, 43, turned himself in to Santa Ana police after a friend or acquaintance called police. Duong reportedly walked into a business called Auto Electric Builders and told an acquaintance, who worked there, that he wanted to turn himself in. She contacted police, and the place soon was soon surrounded by cops.

Duong is one of three inmates who broke out of the maximum security Orange County Men's Jail last Friday. The three inmates reportedly cut through steel bars, forced their way into a plumbing tunnel and used a "makeshift rope" to rappel down the multistory facility from the roof.

37-year-old Hossein Nayeri and 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu remain at large.

Three inmates escape from Southern California jail

Hossein Nayeri, Jonthan Tieu and Bac Duong broke out of a maximum security prison in Orange Country.



UPDATE: In Southern Califronia, authorities have announced that the reward for information leading to the capture of jail escapees Hossein Nayeri, Jonathan Tieu and Bac Tien Duong has quadrupled to $200,000.

O.C. Jail Escape Reward Quadruples to $200,000 as Anxiety Grows in SoCal

* * *
In Southern California, a manhunt is underway and authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of three inmates who escaped from an Orange County jail last week.

Reward for escaped Orange County prisoners up to $50,000 as search for jail inmates continues

On Friday night, sheriff's officials discovered that 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri, 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu and 43-year-old Bac Duong escaped the maximum security Orange County Men's Jail in Santa Ana.

According to authorities, the three inmates cut through steel bars, forced their way into a plumbing tunnel and used a "makeshift rope" to rappel down the multistory facility from the roof.

KKK flyers distributed to homes in Anaheim

Hate fliers found in front yards on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.



Well, that's a shitty thing to find on your lawn. Flyers purporting to be from the Ku Klux Klan were found in the front yards of at least twenty residences in Anaheim on Monday -- Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Some Anaheim Residents Disturbed By Fliers Linked To KKK

The flyers, which were placed in plastic bags along with a rock and a treat, such as a lollipop, contained a message from the KKK and a phone number (with a North Carolina area code) for the organization. Because everybody knows that a racist's most powerful recruiting tool is a sucker.

Here are some images of the flier, courtesy of OC Weekly:

Sandra Tsing Loh is 'The Madwoman in the Volvo'

January 3-24 at South Coast Repertory..



Some Southern California theater for you... Public radio personality and playwright Sandra Tsing Loh stars in the world premiere of her new play The Madwoman in the Volvo, based on her memoir of the same name.

Cheery self-help books that advocate eating kale and doing yoga didn't cut it for Loh when menopause and a mid-life crisis hit. Instead, she opted for a different way to embrace her change of life, with hilarious results.

The three-character stage adaptation is running now through January 24 at the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. Here are some more details about the play:

Suspect arrested in Sikh temple vandalism

20-year-old Brodie Durazo was arrested for spray-painting anti-Muslim graffiti at Gurdwara Singh Sabha.



In Buena Park, California, a 20-year-old man has been arrested for the vandalism of a Sikh temple that was spray-painted with anti-Muslim profanity. Police had been investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Brodie Durazo, 20, Busted for Alleged Anti-Muslim Vandalism at Sikh Temple

On Wednesday, police questioned Brodie Durazo, who admitted to committing the vandalism at Gurdwara Singh Sabha last week. Community members discovered graffiti on the exterior of the temple, as well as "FUCK ISIS" and gang references spray-painted on a tractor-trailer in the temple's parking lot.

Sikh temple vandalized with anti-Muslim hate graffiti

A truck parked at an Orange County Sikh temple was tagged with "Fuck ISIS."



In Buena Park, California, a Sikh temple was vandalized with anti-Muslim profanity just days after the mass shooting in San Bernadino. Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Hate Crime Inquiry Opened Into Vandalism of Sikh Temple in California

On Sunday morning, community members discovered graffiti on the exterior of the Gurdwara Singh Sabha. Someone had also spray-painted gang tags and "FUCK ISIS" on a tractor-trailer in the temple's parking lot.

Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen is running for Congress

35-year-old underdog candidate officially announces bid for California 46th District.



Bao Nguyen, the underdog activist and organizer who surprised pretty much everybody when he was elected mayor of Garden Grove, California last year, has announced that he is running for U.S. Congress.

Garden Grove mayor Bao Nguyen to announce bid for Congress

On Tuesday afternoon, Nguyen officially announced his candidacy to represent California's 46th district, which includes Santa Ana, Anaheim, and parts of Garden Grove and Orange.

He joins a crowded race to replace Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who is stepping down to run for U.S. Senate. The field already includes former state Senators Lou Correa and Joe Dunn and Anaheim Councilman Jordan Brandman, all vying for the top two spots in next June's primary election.

Nguyen, 35, made the announcement amongst a small gathering of supporters in Santa Ana:

Suspect arrested in vicious attack on 83-year-old man

Assailant was caught on video punching and kicking an elderly man in an unprovoked attack.



Over the weekend in Southern California, police arrested a suspect in the vicious assault of an 83-year-old man last week in a shopping mall parking lot. The seemingly unprovoked incident was caught on video.

Suspect arrested for attack on 83-year-old man in Santa Ana

29-year-old Demarrea Chante Barnes, who is described as a transient, was arrested on suspicion of attacking Tuyen Nguyen, who was hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage and broken facial bones.

The attack was caught on surveillance video, which shows Nguyen unassumingly walking through a parking lot in Santa Ana on Friday morning, when the assailant jumps into the frame and punches him, knocking him to the ground. He then punches Nguyen at least two more times before kicking him and walking away.

Santa Ana police released the video Friday, asking for the public's help identifying the assailant:

Meet the Worst Tutor in the World

Ex-tutor Timothy Lai faces multiple felony charges for orchestrating a high school grade-changing scheme.



Asians behaving badly... grade-changing, cheating tutor edition! In Orange County, a former tutor is facing felony charges for hacking a teacher's computer to help a group of high school students change their grades.

Tutor accused of hacking school computers faces 16 more felony charges

29-year-old Timothy Lance Lai is accused of breaking into Corona del Mar High, while working as a private tutor, to place a keystroke-logging device on the back of a teacher's computer. With that information, Lai allegedly accessed the school's network to change several students' grades on multiple occasions in 2013.

The school district and police launched an investigation into the cheating after a teacher discovered that student grades had been changed. After interviews with students, it wasn't long before Lai's name came up.

Bloomingdale's apologizes for Lunar New Year "hat" display

"The use of hats was in no way intended to be disrespectful or insensitive to the Asian culture..."



The other day I posted a photo of some mannequins spotted at the Bloomingdale's at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. In celebration of the Lunar New Year, they were decked out in some questionable headwear.

Many of you were not cool with this display, and were quick to contact the folks at Bloomingdale's to let them know how you felt. The hats were reportedly removed from the display immediately.

In fact, I received this message from the store's public relations representatives, with an apology:

Students hurl racist chants at high school basketball game

Classy fans at Esperanza High yelled "Jackie Chan" and "shrimp fried rice" at Reed Nakikihara.



Sarcastic slow hand clap for the classy students at Esperanza High School in Anaheim, California, who yelled racial taunts at an Asian American basketball player from a rival school during a game last week.

Esperanza High Students Chant "Jackie Chan," "Shrimp Fried Rice" at Foothill High Player

During Friday night's game against Foothill High School, fans in Esperanza High's student section reportedly yelled chants like "Jackie Chan" and "shrimp fried rice" at Reed Nakakihara, point guard for the Knights.

Esparanza High School's administration is apparently looking into the matter. Principal Ken Fox says, "This is unacceptable and we're embarrassed." Sorry, you have some racist idiots in your student body.

Woman arrested for vandalizing Buddhist temple

Trang Thu Pham was caught on camera throwing bottles at Buddha statues.



Caught! Asians behaving badly update. In Southern California, the woman who was caught on surveillance video after repeatedly throwing glass bottles at statues outside a Buddhist temple has been arrested.

Woman Arrested for Allegedly Vandalizing Buddhist Temple in Santa Ana

45-year-old Trang Thu Pham was caught on camera chucking bottles at Buddha statues outside the Hoc Tich Buddhist Temple in Santa Ana. There were at least eight incidents between December 16 and January 6. She was finally caught after someone spotted her, recognized her from news reports and called the cops.

Pham told detectives she didn't have any problems with the Buddhist religion -- she apparently had some sort of personal issue with someone associated with the temple.

Woman caught on camera vandalizing Buddhist temple

Surveillance video shows suspect throwing glass bottles at Buddha statues



Asians behaving badly... Buddha statue vandal edition! In Orange County, authorities are asking for the public's help in identifying a woman caught on security camera repeatedly vandalizing a Buddhist temple.

Woman Sought for Vandalizing Buddhist Temple in Santa Ana

Surveillance video shows an unknown woman throwing glass bottles over a fence at statues of Buddha, locatd at the front the Hong Tich Buddhist Temple in Santa Ana. She has apparently done this multiple times.

According to the Santa Ana Police Department, there have been eight incidents of bottles being thrown at the temple in the past three weeks, causing damage to the statues.