Police arrest suspect, seek another in Bayview attack on Asian man

Police announced Thursday they’ve arrested a suspect in connection with the robbery of an elderly man’s recyclables in the Bayview.

According to police, officers have arrested 20-year-old Dewayne Grayson on suspicion of robbery, hate crime, elder abuse and probation violation in connection with the robbery, which happened Saturday around 5:30 p.m. at a San Francisco Housing Authority complex on Osceola Lane.

Investigators have identified a second suspect in connection with the robbery and officers are currently looking for him, according to police.

During a Thursday afternoon press conference, police chief William Scott was applauded when he said an arrest had been made in the case.

Scott said:

“Our investigators are out right now looking for a second person who we believe we will have arrested in the very near future.”

Scott told the crowd Thursday:

“That video and what you saw in it does not represent this city. What we see here represents our city. We are a community. The SFPD is a part of that community.”

The robbery was caught on tape in a widely shared viral video.

Grayson is allegedly the person who filmed the incident and uploaded it to social media. Officers took him into custody Thursday morning in the 100 block of Kirkwood Ave., police said.

In the video, released Sunday, suspects appear to rob an elderly Asian man of a cart of recyclables he had collected from the area. During the alleged robbery, several bystanders appear to film and taunt the victim, and at least one person can be heard saying, “I hate Asians.”

Police described the victim as a 68-year-old man. Although he complained of pain from being struck on the back of the head, he had no visible injuries, police said.

In a second video that surfaced on social media, the victim can be seen talking to two private security officers. Police said they are in touch with the representatives of the security company that patrols the public housing in the area, according to police.

In response to the robbery, Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Shamann Walton, whose supervisorial district includes the Bayview, held a “Community Unity and Healing Rally” on Thursday afternoon at the complex where the alleged offense occurred. Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, Assemblymember David Chiu, D-San Francisco, and members of the city’s faith-based community also were there.

The case remains under investigation, police said.

Anyone with information is being asked to call police’s anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to text a tip to TIP411 with SFPD at the beginning of the message.