SAN FRANCISCO—Three suspects who were breaking into cars and stealing luggage in Japantown were chased away by two bystanders on May 2.
Staff members at the Pa’ina restaurant noticed the activity outside from across the street and took action. Co-owner Jeremy Jong and his friend Hudson Liao dodged traffic while chasing the suspects and were able to save all the stolen luggage.
“They saw me and I was chasing towards them. They immediately dropped the bags, as I was chasing towards them, the second they dropped the bags, they were pretty fast. They were already on the other side of the complex,” explained Jong in an interview with KPIX News.
The suspects are still at large, but all the luggage belonging to tourists from Chicago were recovered, according to Jong and Liao.
Both men are co-founders of the new community safety group Asians Are Strong. The increase of crimes against Asian American inspired them to create the group in March that teaches self-defense, reported KPIX News.
“We hope it doesn’t happen to you. We hope you’re never in this situation, but we also want to make sure you don’t feel hopeless,” Liao told KPIX News. “This used to be a great place to visit, great place to live, and it’s gone downhill quick. We hate that and we want to make sure people come here, feel safe.”
Asians Are Strong noted that if an individual does not feel safe intervening in a crime, it is important to be prepared and always have situational awareness.
