Attorney among 3 charged in Santana Row attack outside restaurant

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Prosecutors have charged three suspects in a daytime attack outside a busy Santana Row restaurant, including one man who is an attorney.

Henry Brunell Chamaki, 32, of Morgan Hill, along with brothers Roma Akoyans, 20, and Ramon Akoyans, 18, both of San Jose, face assault and battery charges in connection with the March 8 brawl outside Augustine restaurant.

According to the California State Bar website, Chamaki is an active attorney with Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP.

In a statement to KTVU, a representative for the law firm said the suspect previously worked for the law firm, but has not been affiliated with the firm since the end of January.

"Murphy Austin was shocked and disturbed to learn of the violent incident reported in San Jose," the statement said. 

The law firm representative went on to say, "The conduct described in the reports is deeply troubling. Murphy Austin condemns antisemitism, violence, and acts of hatred in any form."

What led up to fight?

What we know:

Prosecutors said the victims and suspects did not know each other.

"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," said District Attorney Jeff Rosen. "Our public spaces have to be safe for all to enjoy without fear."

The victims told investigators they were waiting for a table at Augustine and were speaking Hebrew with one another.

Police said video from the restaurant shows the victims approaching the restaurant and requesting a table. At the same time, the suspects were walking nearby.

According to police, one of the victims made eye contact with the suspects as the groups passed each other and words were exchanged.

One of the victims said the suspects were looking at them "very weird," so he asked whether they knew him. Authorities said one of the suspects then allegedly punched him without warning, and someone yelled an antisemitic slur.

That’s when the fight escalated.

KTVU has not viewed the restaurant’s surveillance video.

Victim knocked unconscious

One of the victims told investigators he was knocked unconscious for several seconds during the attack.

Jewish Silicon Valley CEO Daniel Klein said the victims are Israeli-American men.

"While they were waiting for their table, three people came up to them out of nowhere and knocked one of the victims out cold and then three of them jumped on top of the other victim," Klein said.

Bystander video captured three men wearing black shirts repeatedly punching a person believed to be one of the victims as onlookers watched.

In the video, voices can be heard yelling, "Knock it off," before the three men run away.

Hate crime charges not filed — for now

Prosecutors said they are not pursuing hate crime charges at this time, though the investigation remains ongoing.

Victim previously targeted in hate crime

Dig deeper:

KTVU has learned that one of the victims has previously been the target of a hate crime.

The victim owns an HVAC company in San Jose, where company vans were vandalized with swastikas in August of last year.

San Jose police investigated that incident, but authorities say there is currently no known connection between that vandalism and the Santana Row assault.

San JoseCrime and Public Safety