Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen filed felony charges Monday against three men for the beating of two strangers outside a Santana Row restaurant on March 8 that San Jose police officers had described at the time as an antisemitic hate crime.
The three suspects surrendered to police March 16 and are to be arraigned on May 12, according to a statement from the District Attorney’s Office.
The men were identified as Bruneil Henry Chamaki, 32, of Morgan Hill, and two San Jose brothers, Roma Akoyans, 20, and Ramon Akoyans, 18. They are accused of attacking two men in an outdoor seating area outside the Augustine restaurant in San Jose’s upscale shopping district on a busy Sunday afternoon, then fleeing the scene.
In their reports, San Jose police stated clearly they believed the attack was a hate crime. The three suspects yelled antisemitic messages while attacking two seated strangers after hearing them speaking Hebrew, according to witness statements to police.
Rosen avoided any mention of a hate crime in his announcement, except to say he was keeping the investigation – and his options – open.
“The DA’s Office is working closely with the [San Jose Police Department] to review all new information. We encourage anyone with knowledge about this crime to contact the San Jose Police Department,” the DA’s Office said in a March 16 statement.
At this point, the case in court papers is being handled strictly as an assault. “The charges reflect the gravity of a violent assault in public between strangers, and the dangerousness of hitting and kicking someone while they are down,” Rosen said in his statement.
The police reports – which Rosen took the unusual step of initially releasing in full, with redactions to protect the victims – tell a different story.
Police and witnesses in police reports said three men, described as Persians, yelled anti-semitic comments at the two victims, who police identified as Jewish.
Persia is the historical name for Iran, and many people who fled that country after the 1979 Islamic Revolution self-identify in the U.S. as Persians.
The initial police characterization of the Santana Row incident as a hate crime rocked San Jose’s Jewish community, as anti-semitic actions multiplied across the U.S. after the Trump Administration’s Iran War accelerated.
In the days after the attacks, while unidentified suspects were still at large, Daniel Klein, CEO of Jewish Silicon Valley, told the media the incident was “extremely disturbing.”
“I wish our community was surprised by this incident, but unfortunately, this has been the environment that the Jewish community has had to operate in for several years now,” Klein said last week. He told media that the two victims were Israeli-Americans.
San Jose Police issued a statement Monday to calm fears: “We recognize the community’s concern about this incident and appreciate the patience shown as investigators worked methodically to ensure the case was handled thoroughly and correctly.”
“Those responsible for this violent crime will be held accountable,” the police department statement read. “This remains an active case, and we will continue working closely with District Attorney Rosen’s Office as the case moves forward through the criminal justice process.”
The police statement concluded by saying, “The District Attorney’s Office will be providing additional details soon.”
In California, hate crime enhancements can add one to four years in state prison for felonies.
“We won’t tolerate pummeling a victim on the ground in front of a restaurant or anywhere, and we will hold the perpetrators fully accountable,” Rosen said in his statement today. “Our public spaces have to be safe for all to enjoy without fear.”
He also praised San Jose police “for the swift and thorough way they have investigated this crime.”
In the initial police summary of the incident to prosecutors, police said that “on March 8 at approximately 1538 hours (3:38pm), a hate crime occurred at 377 Santana Row in San Jose.”
“The victims were Jewish and were speaking to each other in Hebrew. Three suspects walked past them and heard the victims speaking Hebrew. One suspect said, "F*** Jews" and all three suspects began physically assaulting the two victims at the same time. The victims were punched and kicked multiple times for approximately 20 seconds. The three suspects fled the scene.”
One witness overheard an attacker saying, as the three suspects ran off, “something like ‘Don't f*** with Iran!’ “
The police summary said that “both victims kept telling officers to watch the video evidence of the assault instead of asking stupid questions.”
Officers reported that they located video evidence of the incident and broadcast a description of the three suspects on local police radio channels.
One victim had scratches on his left elbow and head pain, the second victim had a cut on his lip and head pain, police said. They received medical attention at the scene from the [San Jose Police Department] but refused to be transported to a hospital.
