The California city of Riverside was shocked over the weekend after an elderly Asian American woman was stabbed to death early Saturday morning. According to police, the suspect in now custody.
Ke Chieh Meng, 64, was walking her dogs on Golden Avenue when she became the victim of what authorities initially thought to be a random attack but now say is under further investigation, The Washington Examiner reported.
After authorities were alerted to a “woman down” in the area, Meng was discovered by police on the sidewalk with multiple stab wounds. She later died from her injuries after being rushed to hospital.
Suspect arrested
According to a press release by the Riverside Police Department, 23-year-old Darlene Stephanie Montoya was arrested in connection with the attack. Police believe Montoya stabbed Meng and then fled the scene.
“Detectives determined Darlene Montoya was the attacker and placed her under arrest. She was later booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for murder, weapons violation, and suspicion of being under the influence of an illegal substance. She is being held without bail,” the release states.
Officer Ryan Railsback, a spokesman for the Riverside police department, said the woman was homeless and “obviously experiencing mental health and substance abuse issues,” according to The Associated Press.
According to police, Montoya was arrested only five days earlier for attacking a woman with a skateboard.
Although she was booked into jail, “due to the current emergency bail schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was released on a ‘Notice to Appear’ citation.”
Violence against Asian Americans
Violence against Asian Americans has made headlines in recent weeks following a mass shooting in Georgia late last month that claimed the lives of eight victims, six of whom were of Asian decent.
While many in the mainstream media have attempted to link anti-Asian violence with alleged white supremacy, the evidence for such a connection isn’t clear.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ most recent criminal victimization survey published in 2018 showed that African American offenders were responsible for the largest share of anti-Asian attacks.
According to Officer Railsback, investigators who questioned Montoya “didn’t come across anything to suggest she attacked the victim due to her race.”
The post Suspect arrested in fatal stabbing of Asian American woman first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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