Howard County Police Continue Investigating Burglaries Of Asian-Owned Restaurants As Violence, Threats Against Asians Rise
COLUMBIA, Md. (WJZ) -- Police in Howard County continue to investigate multiple burglaries of restaurants owned by Asian Americans, the latest in a wave of anti-Asian attacks that have increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The break-ins happened about a month ago, primarily at businesses owned by Asian Americans. Police have not yet announced any arrests, and violence and threats against Asian Americans are still top-of-mind.
No one is immune; Gov. Larry Hogan said his family is among those grappling with the effects.
"It really has been a serious problem. My wife, my three daughters, my grandkids are all Asian. They've felt some discrimination personally, but they also have close friends—friends of my wife from church, some of my daughters' friends—who've really been treated pretty terribly," he said Sunday on CNN.
Among the recent attacks: a woman in Queens was shoved to the ground and in Sacramento, video showed someone leaving a dead cat outside an Asian restaurant.
Four of the six restaurants burglarized in Howard County around the Lunar New Year were Asian-owned. Police do not know if race was a factor, but the county is working to prevent prejudice.
"Because Howard County is such a solid community, we want to be proactive so we don't see those acts of violence," said Angela Cabellon, the county's chief innovation officer and Asian American community liaison.
A recent study from California State University, San Bernardino, said violence against Asian Americans shot up by nearly 150% in the past year, a trend that coincides with the pandemic.
"If those attacks were generated because of the coronavirus then that's very unfortunate," Luis Enrique said.
During his primetime address last week, President Joe Biden condemned anti-Asian violence, a move Hogan commended.
Get alerts from WJZ first! Follow WJZ on Facebook and download the app.