Prosecutors in the San Francisco Bay Area have charged three men with assault in connection with an attack on two Hebrew-speaking men — but not a hate crime charge, even though the suspects reportedly shouted “F—- the Jews” during the violence.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said there is not enough evidence to level hate crime charges against the suspects.
Prosecutors identified the suspects as Bruneil Henry Chamaki, 32; Ramon Akoyans, 20; and Roma Akoyans, 18, after they turned themselves in to police Monday.
Witnesses told San Jose police that the attackers yelled “Don’t f—- with Iran” as they threw punches at the victims last week as the men waited outside of a restaurant. Onlookers said the trio were heard speaking Farsi, the official language of Iran, during the daytime attack.
“We won’t tolerate pummeling a victim on the ground in front of a restaurant or anywhere, and we will hold the perpetrators fully accountable,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Our public spaces have to be safe for all to enjoy without fear.”
The police report said one of the victims spotted the suspects giving them “very weird” looks as they walked past them outside at Cafe Augustine.
The victim asked the suspects if they knew each other, police said, and the trio responded by attacking the victims and yelling an antisemitic slur.
Officials said the suspects will be arraigned in May.
Police said Roma Akoyans is a student at West Valley College in Saratoga, California.
Mr. Chamaki had worked as a corporate attorney for Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP. The law firm said in a statement that Mr. Chamaki stopped working for the firm in January.
“Murphy Austin was shocked and disturbed to learn of the violent incident reported in San Jose,” the statement said. “The conduct described in the reports is deeply troubling. Murphy Austin condemns antisemitism, violence, and acts of hatred in any form.”
