TikTokers Were Reviewing In-N-Out, Until A Stranger Harassed Them For Being Asian

A Denver man harassed two Korean-Americans at an In-N-Out Burger location in San Ramon, California, on Christmas Eve – confrontation captured on Tik Tok video By the victims while they were eating – it was Arrested by the local authorities Monday on two counts of a hate crime.

A San Ramon police spokesperson said in an email that Jordan Douglas Krah, 40, was no longer in custody, and it was not clear if formal charges would be filed. A spokesperson for the Contra Costa County District Attorney said the office has not obtained details about the case from the police department yet.

Arin Kim, a 20-year-old student at UCLA, and her friend Elliot Ha, also 20, a Duke student, were home on vacation and decided to try some off-menu items at In-N-Out. Christmas Eve.

“We were just talking about life,” said Ms. Kim, of Moraga, California. “It was such a positive feedback for everyone.”

They were recording their reactions and filming a TikTok video inside the restaurant when Mr. Krah approached them and asked if they were recording themselves eating. They said they were.

“You gay freaks,” Mr. Krah replied, showing the video, as a shocked expression spread across Ms. Kim’s face.

“I just want to eat my Flying Dutchman in peace,” said Mr. Ha of Livermore, Calif., referring to an off-menu item, two burgers with a cheeseburger wrap.

Moments later, Mr. Krah is heard asking the pair if they are Japanese or Korean.

When Mr. Ha responded and said he was Korean, Mr. Krah said, “You’re Kim Jong-un’s friend, aren’t you?” Referring to the leader of North Korea.

Then the gist of the conversation seemed to take a sinister turn, as Mr. Krah is heard in a video describing himself as a “slave master” and using homophobic slurs. He is then heard on video saying he will see the pair outside.

“Alarm bells were ringing,” Ms. Kim said. “And it was late at night, around 11 pm at that time and it was completely dark outside. I was just so scared.”

The video showed Mrs. Kim and Mr. Ha, both increasingly confused, trying to disengage from the man and continuing to review their food for the In-N-Out menu, while Mr. Krah stared at them from outside the restaurant window, accordingly. To explain and describe Ms. Kim’s video.

San Ramon Police Department Chief Denton Carlson spotted video, which quickly circulated on the Internet and has been viewed more than 13 million times. Contact the victims to start a police investigation he said in a press release.

Police said Mr. Krah’s “racial and racist hatred” left the victims worried for their safety.

The number of hate crimes against Asian Americans reported to the police has skyrocketed during the pandemic. Stop AAPI Hate, a group formed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic that collects data on hate and harassment faced by the Asian American community, has recorded more than 10,000 hate incidents in 2020 and 2021. Nearly half of the reported incidents occurred in public places, The report found.

In nearly two dozen major cities, including Los Angeles, Houston and New York, anti-Asian hate crimes were reported to rise by an average of 224 percent from 2020 to 2021, according to a report from San Bernardino. Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. The total number, 369 hate crimes, was a record, said Brian Levine, a professor at California State University San Bernardino.

Mr. Levine said this year is on track to “far exceed” the levels of epidemic hate crime suffered by Asian Americans.

Mr. Ha and Ms. Kim said they were pressing charges, after hesitating at first because they believed the verbal attack would not be taken seriously by the authorities.

“This whole situation seems so surreal to me because I really didn’t think anyone would care,” Ms. Kim said, adding that there were “dozens and thousands of people” who faced similar hate that wasn’t depicted in the video.

Mr Ha said seeing the outpouring of support from others after the incident helped “restore my faith in my own humanity”. He and Ms. Kim said they hope others will be incentivized to report acts of hate.

It was not clear whether Mr. Karah was represented by a lawyer.

After learning of Mr. Krah’s arrest, Mrs. Kim and Mr. Ha return to the same In-N-Out restaurant for a meal. They said strangers, who they learned about through TikTok videos and news articles, paid for their order.

“The burger tastes delicious,” said Ms. Kim.

This time, Mr. Ha stuck to the usual, double-double.