nwasianweekly.com
Mar. 1, 2008

Man attacks another Asian American woman; Seattle police seek more witnesses

By James Tabafunda
Northwest Asian Weekly

A serial attacker continues targeting Asian American women in South Seattle. A 37-year-old female became his 21st victim on Feb. 10, extending his long record — starting in August 2006 — of sexual assaults.

In response to the assaults, Asian American community leaders and Seattle police encourage Asian American women of all ages to be more aware of their surroundings and call the police with any unreported witness descriptions.

“We encourage women with similar circumstances to come forward and report it,” said Officer Jeff Kappel, a Seattle Police Department spokesman, in a Feb. 19 interview.

Alan P. Lai, crime victim service director at the Chinese Information and Service Center, agrees and said anyone with helpful information should file a report because different people may remember different things about the attacker. “For example, young people may remember the kind of sneakers he is wearing or a certain kind of clothing. Don’t underestimate what you remember,” he said.

The suspect is a middle- to dark-skinned black male in his 20s or 30s, 5 feet, 5 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs between 140 and 150 pounds. Kappel added the suspect has a thin build and wears a variety of clothing.

“The (Seattle Police Department) is treating it as a top priority. We have multiple detectives on it,” said Kappel.

The suspect attacked his latest victim at a Metro bus stop in Seattle’s Beacon Hill district. Other victims report being attacked in the neighboring Rainier Valley district.

Since many in the Asian American community speak English as a second language, Lai said, “Some people may think they have a language barrier.”

He said they should not be afraid and just call 911. He added, “Ask for the interpreter for your particular language, and they will arrange one for you. Or, if they don’t feel comfortable, they can call me on my office number, and I can arrange one.”

A nonprofit organization serving more than 5,000 individuals each year, the Chinese Information and Service Center has 45 staff members who speak eight dialects of Chinese, Vietnamese, Malay and English.

Community meetings have also been held to give South Seattle residents needed personal safety information.

Lai organized a Dec. 13 community meeting at the Van Asselt Community Center, which is located in the Beacon Hill district.

About 30 people, including police officers from both the Seattle Police Department and the Metro Transit Police Unit of the King County Sheriff’s Office, attended the meeting to discuss such safety tips as what to do in an emergency situation. According to Lai, “If someone is following you in a car, run in the opposite direction of that car, because it’s harder for that car to turn around to go after you than for the person.”

He said he’s frequently asked about using a gun, knife or pepper spray for protection. His answer: “That may not be the best idea because if the perpetrators overpower you, they may use that weapon against you.”

Some of the victims fought back against the attacker. Kappel said, “One woman pepper-sprayed him while he groped her. He took off running.” He recommends Asian American women walk in groups and carry a cell phone with 911 on its speed dial.

Lai suggests they carry a whistle or a loud personal alarm with a bright light and use either one in an emergency situation “because perpetrators don’t like attention.”

For those who choose to carry a weapon, he advised, “Get enough training so that you know how to operate it and, then, you’re mentally prepared to use it. You need to have practice to do that.”

There are no community meetings planned for 2008. “But, I’m always ready and willing to have more meetings if the need is there,” said Lai.

For more information about the Chinese Information and Service Center, go to www.cisc-seattle.org.

James Tabafunda can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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