Man charged with San Leandro hate crime after admitting he targeted Asian victim to rob

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. - An East Bay woman says she is traumatized after being robbed and assaulted outside a San Leandro restaurant by a suspect who later told police he targeted her because she is Asian.

"I screamed. I said, ‘Stop … stop!’" Robina Ventus recalled Friday. "And then he said, ‘Give me that b—  or else I’ll kill you.’"

Victim recounts ordeal

Ventus said the robbery happened around 2 p.m. Wednesday as she was getting into her car after picking up food near Hesperian Boulevard and Halcyon Drive.

She said the suspect pushed her to the ground and dragged her during the attack, leaving scrapes and injuries on her arm.

"He pushed me to the ground, so that’s why I have all of this," she said, pointing to scabs on her right arm.

Ventus said she feared for her life while pinned to the pavement with the suspect's foot on her back. She said her only thoughts were her two daughters, one of whom has special needs.

"My kids didn’t know when I am lying there, dying," she said through tears. "So I just let it go."

She released her crossbody purse, which had her ID, cellphone, keys, cash, and a diamond ring.

The attack has left her fearful about leaving home.

"Now, I don’t want to go out. I don’t want to go into my car," she said.

According to San Leandro police and court records obtained by KTVU, the suspect, 22-year-old Jerty Finley, got out of a 2026 BMW X5, attacked Ventus and fled. The license plate indicated it was a leased vehicle.

Police later arrested Finley while he was still inside the vehicle, authorities said.

Suspect told police he targeted victim because she's Asian

Court records state Finley admitted he targeted Ventus because she is Asian, telling officers that "Asians are known to carry expensive jewelry and cash."

That statement led prosecutors to charge Finley with robbery along with a hate-crime enhancement.

Ventus offered a message to her alleged attacker.

"We are different colors, but everybody is people," she said.

Expert says suspect's perception key

Russell Jeung, a professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, said the suspect’s statements are telling.

"For the most part, people don’t say they’re targeting any group, and so police have no reason to report that it was possibly a hate crime," Jeung said. "To the extent that belief that Asians are easy targets or carrying more cash, I don’t know how much others believe in that, but that was his perception."

According to FBI data, overall hate crimes have decreased slightly nationwide, but reported anti-Asian incidents remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan