San Francisco Police Make 2nd Arrest In Racially Charged Bayview Recycling Robbery
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A second arrest has been made in connection to the racially charged recycling robbery of an older Asian man in San Francisco's Bayview District, police said Sunday. 56-year-old Jonathan Amerson, a San Francisco resident, turned himself into police at the Bayview Police Station at 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning. He was booked on two counts of robbery and two counts of elder abuse, police said.
Police said Amerson was involved in a prior incident around two months ago where he reportedly robbed the same victim of his recycling materials in the same area.
A booking photo for Amerson was made available on Monday, SFPD said.
SFPD said the arrest was the result of cooperation and assistance from the community as well as efforts by Bayview Police Station and their Special Investigations Division.
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The first suspect in the incident was arrested Thursday. He was identified as 20-year-old Dwayne Grayson. Grayson is facing charges including robbery, hate crime and elder abuse. He was arrested in front of his residence on the 100 block of Kirkwood Avenue at approximately 8:15 a.m. Thursday.
Grayson was also determined to be the individual who recorded and posted video of the incident on social media.
"What we saw on that video was horrific. Make no mistake about it," San Francisco police chief Bill Scott said. "We heard from people all over the country, not just San Francisco."
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the elderly victim: Bayview Victim Family Fund.
According to the Community Youth Center of San Francisco, the man was collecting recycling to support his family and the funds from donations will go toward their basic needs, such as rent and utilities.
Police said even though two suspects have been arrested, there is still an open investigation into the incident. Anyone with information regarding the incident should call SFPD's 24-hour tip line at 415-575-4444.
