Southern California man charged with hate crime in attack on elderly Asian couple

A southern California man accused of hitting an elderly Asian couple in an unprovoked attack has been charged with hate crimes, the Orange County prosecutor said on Wednesday.

After an attack on a Korean couple in a park on Sunday, Michael Orlando Vivona, 26, of Orange, was surrounded by people until police arrived and arrested him, according to Orange police.

Vivona has been charged with two counts of elder abuse and two counts of hate crimes for injuries, and he also faces two increases in hate crimes, District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a report. communicated.

He is also under investigation in connection with a verbal attack on U.S. Olympic karate athlete Sakura Kokumai in the same park on April 1, the statement said.

The next day, Kokumai posted a video showing a man threatening her, telling her to “come home” and using the words “Chinese” and “disgusting”. Kokumai, who is American of Japanese descent, was born in Honolulu.

The attacks come amid an increase in the number of anti-Asian hate crimes in parts of the country. In New York, police set up a response task force in August.

Those attacked on Sunday night in Grijalva Park, aged 78 and 79, were walking around 7:40 p.m. when, according to officials, Vivona rushed towards them, punched the man in the face, and then punched the woman.

After her arrest, “Vivona subsequently made statements to the police denigrating Asians,” Spitzer’s office said.

Vivona has pleaded not guilty to all counts, according to court records online. He is being held in lieu of $ 65,000 bail, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Records indicate that a public defender represents Vivona, but after-hours contact details could not be found immediately Wednesday evening. A number for Vivona’s house could not be found immediately.

Kokumai told NBC News this month that she was out for a jog on April 1 when the incident occurred.

“When he got close, that’s where I got a little scared, because you never know what might happen,” she said.

She described being in “fight or flight mode” during the encounter and used the incident to remind the Asian American and Pacific Islander community that they are not alone and to encourage people to come together. mobilize and take care of each other.