An Asian-American man who was violently attacked in 2019 is suing San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, accusing the prosecutor of mishandling the case against his assailants – who beat him with a baseball bat, threatened him with a glass bottle and told him: “I’m going to kill you,” court papers show.
Anh Lê’s lawsuit against Boudin was filed just one day before the San Francisco Police Department announced an astonishing 567% increase in hate crimes against Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals.
The now-69-year-old victim slammed the liberal district attorney for refusing “to uphold the fundamental rights of Asian American victims of racially-motivated violence,” and in turn failing to “recognize their humanity,” the lawsuit states.
“In this case, as disturbing as the attack on Mr. Lê is, equally disturbing is his mistreatment by the DA’s office in the aftermath of his violent attack by the Tanner family,” the complaint charges, referring to the suspect in the case. The 111-page suit was filed Monday in the Northern District of California.
“I am a survivor of a horrendous attack that took place in San Francisco with no consequences to the attackers,” Lê said during a news conference announcing the suit. He said suspect Jimmy Tanner, whom he described as being 250 pounds, was arrested for felony terroristic threat, felony elder abuse and battery – but ultimately got off with a misdemeanor.
He added: “Justice has not been served.”
Lê was walking in San Francisco’s Chinatown on the afternoon of Nov. 2, 2019, when he saw a teenager riding his bicycle “very quickly on a crowded sidewalk” and headed toward him and other pedestrians, court papers state.
“You have to be careful, there’s people all over,” Lê allegedly told the youth. The teen’s father, Jimmy Tanner, was nearby, according to the suit.
Story continues at: Continued Asian Violence
