In the absence of any sense of resolution, the couple began searching for clues on their own. But the legal tampering window opens two days before that on March 13, where teams will be able to negotiate with free agents before the official start of the 2023 season. At one point, a neurologist hinted that if it were his father, he would most likely take him off life support. Antoine Watson appears in court during a previous hearing. At Watsons bail hearing, Nawabi said he recognized the racial overtones of the case, but added, This false narrative that this is a targeted attack on the Asian community or an elderly man is misleading and prejudicial. He asked the court to order a neuropsychological evaluation and proposed releasing Watson to home confinement, where his family could look after him, along with requiring therapy and counseling, so that Watson wouldnt become another statistic in the criminal-justice world.. "You will be held accountable by both the police and the District Attorney. Tuesday morning, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Police Chief Bill Scott and District Attorney Chesa Boudin denounced the recent rise in violent crimes in the city, particularly the fatal assaults on Ratanapakdee and 76-year-old private investigator Jack Palladino. Monthanus wondered at first, her mind thick with shock. There had been so many attacks since the one on her father. We were like, Is this a hate crime? He was like, I cant talk about this, Eric says. It was still early, Monthanus reminded herself, but she also couldnt shake the feeling that the world seemed to be moving on. San Francisco News, Restaurants . Let's dispel the myth right now that there are no consequences for committing crimes in San Francisco," Breed said. February 8, 2021 / 3:17 PM pg.acq.push(function() { Chesa Boudin, the San Francisco district attorney, says Mr. Vichas death was heinous. Watson, along with his accomplice in the killing, pled "not guilty" at their court hearings. Monthanus agreed, even as her worry turned to panic. After Vicha died, Eric says, he saw so many videos, video after video of attacks in the news. After the funeral, Monthanus and Eric hired a therapist to help Titus he had not cried and seldom said anything about the episode. Ratanapakdee was on his morning walk last Thursday at around 8:28 a.m. in Anza Vista, San Francisco when Watson rushed towards the victim and pushed him to the ground. San Francisco District Attorneys office stated that Watson had been observed and contacted by San Francisco Police officers earlier that morning for traffic violations following a minor collision and was issued a citation. That afternoon, the couple taped their first interview, with the KTVU reporter Evan Sernoffsky, near the courthouse steps. Watson entered a not guilty plea to charges of murder . . The killing of Vicha was so plain as day, said Will Lex Ham, a New York-based actor, who after watching the video flew from New York to San Francisco to help lead protests and safety patrols in Asian neighborhoods. 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. For his grieving family, the reckoning hasnt gone far enough. 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. eventAction: 'render' Youre not doing it right, her mother snapped at one point, grabbing the brush. In an unprovoked attack, Antoine Watson, 19, charged at Vichar Ratanapakdee, 84, on Thursday during the senior's morning walk. / CBS San Francisco. They sailed toward the Golden Gate Bridge, the choppy waters jostling them as they chanted the Five Precepts. Otherwise, her mother believed, Vichas soul couldnt leave the earth and start its journey toward the afterlife. SF teen who killed 84-year-old man by shoving him to pavement pleads not guilty. 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. Kevin Kunishi is an American photographer living in Oakland, Calif., who is known for creating long-form projects that explore aftermath, trauma and identity. SAN FRANCISCO -- A suspect has been taken into custody following a deadly explosion and fire Thursday at a home in San Francisco's Sunset District that police said was being used as a clandestine drug lab.San Francisco police identified the suspect as 53-year-old Darron Price of San Francisco. One hundred days after her fathers death, Monthanus boarded a boat with Eric, their sons and a few friends. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The grandmother of a teen who senselessly pushed and killed a Thai grandfather has said her grandson should walk free. His 20-year-old accomplice who was in the car at the time was also arrested. 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. 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. How could it have been prevented? He disliked the chilly and wet San Francisco winter and missed his favorite southern Thai dishes and his extended family and friends. They have any language to help anybody.. a white gunman killed eight people at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. Monthanus could now see her father enter the frame as he climbed up the hill and to a corner where he would have continued straight. Please enter valid email address to continue. In the months since her father died, she and Eric had spent so much of their time at rallies, at court or on the phone with reporters and lawyers. Vicha Ratanapakdee, a Thailand native who his family says emigrated to America to . People are grieving. 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}} Eric said the photo, which was taken from behind and does not show a face, made the person look hateful. Its not because we feel bad, Monthanus told me one evening while sitting on the bed where her father used to sleep, Titus playing video games nearby. Monthanus knew she should find a counselor for herself, too. The Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act, passed with bipartisan support and signed into law by President Biden in May, primarily aims to improve crime reporting and data collection. The fatal assault in San Francisco on a defenseless older man was the latest terrifying episode for Asian-Americans, many of whom have endured racist taunts, rants and worse during the pandemic. What is incontrovertible, say leaders of the Asian-American community nationwide, is that the pandemic created a climate of fear and a feeling of insecurity from New York to California. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has sparked outrage on social media after telling the New York Times that 19-year-old Antoine Watson was "in some sort of a temper tantrum" when he . Sliman Nawabi, a deputy public defender representing Watson, disputed the perception that the attack was racially motivated. }); You can dial 311 or 911, she reminded them. In a quiet room upstairs draped in gold and red, she knelt before a shrine of Buddhas, vases filled with fresh tulips and a black-and-white portrait of her father. As Vicha recovered from each operation, Monthanus had slept on the floor next to his bed, comforting him through the pain. At the first rally, a month earlier in March, several hundred people gathered here in support of her family. Wheres Grandpa? Troy asked her. Watson, the suspect identified in Ratanapakdee's murder,wasarrested and chargedwith murder and elder abuse. Watson can be seen running up to Ratanapakdee and violently shoving him in video from SF CBS Local near the corner of Fortuna and Anza Vista. A few steps away, she noticed a dark stain at the end of a driveway. One witness at the scene told officers that he saw . During her own speech that day, which she wrote by hand and rehearsed the night before, Monthanus told the crowd to call the city, including the police, for help when necessary. Monthanus was alone in the room with her sister on FaceTime. The submissions came from 31 states and the District of Columbia, with nearly half the reports originating in California and New York. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ I was like, There is something going on here. At the first few rallies they attended, Eric casually surveyed attendees, asking whether they had ever been spit on or pushed and what the race of the perpetrator was. San Francisco Mayor London Breed, joined by several other elected officials including City Attorney David Chiu, State Senator Scott Wiener, and Supervisors Catherine Stefani and Rafael Mandelman, led the crowd in marching and chanting slogans. But what brought her out to the rallies, more than anything, was her desire for someone to answer for the loss of her father. 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. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. I killed Dad.. But the steps were nearly empty. hitType: 'event', 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. In recent years, the Asian percentage of the Bayviews population has become five times as large as it was in 1980, while the Black share has shrunk by more than half. Still, at a time when demands for racial justice have rocked a demographically evolving nation, the killing of Mr. Vicha was notable for the galvanizing anger it brought to a diverse group that encompasses people of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, South Asian and Southeast Asian heritage. Betty Louie, an adviser to the San Francisco Chinatown Merchants Association, remembered that back when she had owned gift shops in the neighborhood, 25 years ago, "we . News of a viral outbreak in Wuhan had started circulating in the international news media. (CBS), deadly attack of Vicha Ratanapakdee in the city's Anza Vista neighborhood on January 28, pled not guilty to charges of murder and elder abuse causing death, and that any perpetrators would "be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,", Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. The grandmother of a teen who senselessly pushed and killed a Thai grandfather has said her grandson should walk free. A.Cecil Williams told The New York Times in an article about the 2010 protest. 'Very open to the idea': Julia Wandelt takes DNA test to verify if she is missing Swiss girl Livia Schepp, Kayla Lemieux: Teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breasts suspended WITH PAY after pics show her dressed as man, Michael Schneider: Psychic detective gives '100%' verdict on whether Julia Wandelt is Madeleine McCann, Lindsay Clancy case: Psychologist reveals psychosis red flags family members could have spotted, 'I'd be horrified if my kids did that': Internet slams eight-year-old's pregnant mom for enabling 'disgusting' behavior. hitType: 'event', That week, on Feb. 4, the couple spoke with San Franciscos district attorney, Chesa Boudin, on a call. These shifts werent always visible, but they were there beneath the influx or exodus, beneath the mistrust and grievances, beneath what each person, Black or Asian, took away from the images of attacks flooding the news. Everybody I talked to said it was from a Black person, he told me. Three monks carried piles of orchids and roses, a framed photo of Vicha and a forest green box holding his remains. He died shortly after being rushed to a hospital. One month after the Atlanta shootings, a white gunman killed eight people at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. Here is a photo of Vicha Ratanapakdee, who was killed in a shocking attack last week in San Francisco. San Francisco (BCN) . Then, on March 16, a white gunman in the Atlanta area drove to several businesses and shot eight people to death. I think he has to pay for what he did. Ratanapakdeewas walking in the city's Anza Vista neighborhood on the morning of Jan.28 when he was violently shoved to the ground in whatBoudinreferred to as "a horrific, senseless attack". 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. In each instance, the bystanders appeared to do nothing. Mr. Vichas cremated remains have been placed in two urns. At a vigil in Madison Park in Oakland the week after the Atlanta shootings, a mother stood with her young son, holding a sign with Vichas face on it. He was booked on suspicion of murder, elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon. Watson allegedly carried out the deadly attack on senior citizen Vicha Ratanapakdee in the citys Anza Vista neighborhood on January 28, 2021. Four of the victims were Sikh, prompting calls to examine whether the gunman was motivated by bias. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Several young people carried signs with an illustration of a 75-year-old Chinese woman who, a few weeks earlier, was punched by a white man and then fought back by whacking him with a wooden board. Monthanus ran to her fathers side and held his hand. SAN FRANCISCO Weary of being cooped inside during the pandemic, . In the weeks since it happened, Mr. Vichas death has become a symbol for the vulnerability that many in the Asian-American community feel in this moment. I told him to walk that way. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/27/us/asian-american-hate-crimes.html. Their desire to make sense of Vichas death, to understand what motivated it, placed them in the center of a conversation so much broader than their own. On January 29, 2021, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Watson for 245(a)1 PC - Assault with a Deadly Weapon and 368(b)1 PC - Elder Abuse causing . Watson, the court documents state, had been cited for reckless driving, speeding and failure to stop at a stop sign in the hours before the attack. Activists have argued the rise in hate incidentsshows a pattern of abuse related to blame placed on the Asian American community for the coronavirus pandemic. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, In February, two joggers, women, yelled something about germs at her older son as he played on a dock with a friend. This is a hate crime.. ga('ads.send', { Her hope was for all people to work together, and not blame each other. Send him story tips at lucas.manfredi@fox.com. There will be consequences. It looked like blood, but she wasnt sure. On the corner where Vicha paused in his steps, theres a view of the bay and the skyscrapers downtown. MonthanusRatanapakdee with her husband, Eric Lawson. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ The video was taken from the same angle as the clip that everyone saw, only this footage was longer. So we created our own website. (The California attorney generals office collects data on hate crimes in the state but not other cases involving verbal harassment, for example, which often dont constitute crimes.). }); In March, just before the country went into lockdown, a woman swung at Monthanus outside a hospital; she ducked the punch before running across the street. Why was no one intervening? A preliminary hearing for the man accused of fatally pushing Vicha Ratanapakdee in San Francisco last year commenced on Tuesday, reigniting calls for justice and an end to anti-Asian violence. The killing of a Thai man in America has given voice to a united community under the umbrella of an Asian-American identity. His wife suggested that he have some coffee first; he told her he wouldnt be gone for long, whispering so as not to wake the kids. By William McCurry. She thought about her father in the back of the car with the kids, their banter when she got ready for work in the morning. The segment ran with Vichas photo and the headline Family of 84-Year-Old Killed in S.F. In addition, she obtained police documents that claimed toshowWatson "on surveillancegoing to a BMW after the crime retrieving a cell phone & walk back to Ratanapakdee & appear to take photos of him as he was dying.". Mom, you know what? They asked the state attorney generals office to help them track what they believed to be a growing number of episodes. Elderly Thai man in San Francisco killed by teen in unprovoked attack. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of Otherwise youre going to have that forever. 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. Monthanus arrived at the steps of the San Francisco Hall of Justice, an imposing concrete building that spans a city block, where Antoine Watson was scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing. He didnt take anything from my father, not even the tablet, she says. He died of a brain hemorrhage in a San Francisco hospital two days later. Any time a family suffers a violent crime, a homicide in particular, theres questions, Boudin told me. Watson and his associate, 20-year-old Malaysia Goo, were arrested on January 30 without incident. But maybe were going to be hurt forever anyway.. Antoine turned around and smiled again, until the door closed on him. Monthanus wailed softly. Then the flood came. Antoine didnt wake up Jan. 28, 2021, with the idea of shoving somebody down and killing them, regardless of their race or gender. In the United States and elsewhere, private schools asked their Chinese international students not to return for the spring semester; shopkeepers turned away customers who appeared Asian; Chinatowns emptied. I want to know what happened. She could see that Vichas death meant something bigger than her own grief, that he was part of a history that preceded her and a future she could help shape. Where did the assault happen? She wakes up crying; she goes to sleep crying, Steiner said. It was the type of forceful body blow that might have knocked unconscious a young football player in full protective pads. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. },false) In November, another old man spat in her direction as her sons rode their scooters by the bay. I want him to be close to me, she said. They scrubbed the sidewalk with brushes and wondered why no one from the city had come to do the same. Monthanus wanted to speak to the judge, too. It was just the way that he answered the question that made me feel like he didnt really care about our emotions, about what we were asking about., Boudin, who couldnt discuss the particulars of the case, understood where Eric and Monthanus were coming from. Often, the natural human response is to want someone to blame for the pain that youre experiencing. He added, Although our system is pretty effective at processing cases and punishing, were not effective at providing the kinds of answers to families in pain and need to feel a sense of closure, or to be able to move on with their lives after suffering often unthinkable harm., Most states 48, as well as the District of Columbia have laws addressing hate crimes that are motivated by a victims race, religion or sexual orientation, among other classifications. San Francisco police say their suspect Antoine Watson, 19, attacked the senior along Anza Vista and Fortuna Avenues Thursday morning. These conversations surfaced the memory of Black Americans killed senselessly by Asian perpetrators, too Latasha Harlins, the young teenager carrying $2 and a bottle of orange juice, shot to death by a Korean American shopkeeper in 1991; Akai Gurley, an unarmed young father shot to death in a dark stairwell by a Chinese American police officer in 2014. For a short while, Monthanus half believed it, too. Now all that remained was the memory of him, the sound of his voice in her head. She never got to decide. She thought about Antoine, knowing there were people in his life who loved him. Ratanapakdee died after sustaining severe injuries. 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. It was the first court appearance of 19-year-old Daly City resident Antoine Watson since he was arrested for the assault this past weekend. Pa, can you hear me? she repeated. hitType: 'event', Legal Statement. Believe Attack Was Racially Motivated., Amanda Nguyen, a prominent activist, shared Sernoffskys report. February 4, 2021 / 6:00 AM She guessed he would have walked in a clockwise loop from their building she often suggested he take that route because it included an uphill stretch that would help him get some cardio. . How long did he lie outside before an ambulance arrived? During the pandemic, she persuaded him to avoid shopping and stick to outdoor walks. Mr. Nawabi described Mr. Watson as someone who had struggled with anger.