SF Man Charged With Hate Crime After Attack on Asian Woman at San Jose’s Diridon Station

A man accused of sexually assaulting an Asian woman who was waiting for a morning commuter train in San Jose will be arraigned today on felony hate crime charges.

According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, the incident took place around 7am Wednesday in a Diridon Station pedestrian tunnel, where 32-year-old San Francisco resident Johan Strydom came up from behind the 26-year-old victim, grabbed her neck and pulled her to the ground.

Authorities say he grabbed her hair and began tossing her side to side while repeating “f*ck you, Asians” and other slurs as the woman screamed.

Prosecutors say the attack lasted about a minute, until the woman’s boyfriend and other witnesses rushed to her aid and trailed Strydom so he wouldn’t get away.

Strydom kept repeating ethnic slurs as he made his way to a nearby bus stop, authorities say. “You guys gonna come and save that ho?” he allegedly asked.

San Jose police arrested Strydom minutes later by the SAP Center, which lies across the street from the transit station.

Strydom stands accused of assault with intent to rape and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. Because of his alleged comment during the attack, the DA added hate crime enhancements to the charges.

If convicted, he faces “a significant prison sentence,” according to an announcement sent to reporters this morning from the DA’s office.

Strydom’s arraignment is set for 1:30pm today in Department 24 of the Santa Clara County Superior Court Hall of Justice. DA Jeff Rosen plans to attend the hearing and speak to reporters afterwards.

“This is every woman’s nightmare, and this is our community’s nightmare,” Rosen said in a prepared statement. “This is also a tale of heroism. Our community came to this woman’s aid and stopped the attack. Hate crimes are not someone else’s problem. They are mine. They are yours. It will take all of us to confront them.”

According to news reporter, anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise during the pandemic, prompting condemnation on Thursday from President Joe Biden. During his first primetime address since being inaugurated, he denounced the “vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans who’ve been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated.”

Meanwhile, here in the South Bay, Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell) plans to lead a rally this weekend to call for an end to the xenophobic attacks. The event is scheduled to start at 11am Saturday at San Jose City Hall.

Jennifer Wadsworth is the former news editor for San Jose Inside and Metro Silicon Valley. Follow her on Twitter at @jennwadsworth.

28 Comments

  1. SJI hitting the jackpot again with the deranged Mr. Strydom.

    Mugshot, very quotable quotes…

    just one more detail to hit the trifecta

  2. Reporting not very clear.

    “grabbed her neck and pulled her to the ground.”…how is that assault with intent to rape?

    Some questions for DA Rosen when you see him next. How many times have Mr. Strydom had police contact in the past? How many times has he been arrested or been mentally evaluated? Is he on probation or parole? Is he out on zero bail or have zero bail warrant? Was “meth” a factor in this crime? Or more interesting, is this his first criminal act?

    I think we have a bunch of Mr. Strydoms roaming around so be very careful when visiting and living in California.

  3. Imagine how tough it would be for federal law enforcement, as well as organizations deeply dependent upon hate crimes, unsafe streets, middle class guilt, and the homeless, were we to move the likes of Mr. Strydom to the safety of mental institutions? If not from amidst the hoarded electronic junk in the broken-down trailers favored by the deranged, where would the feds find the bomb-making equipment and homegrown terrorists required to keep themselves news-relevant and fully-budgeted? With lunatics off the street what could justify the regular funding of incompetent crisis workers and accountability-free emergency psych services? Take the muttering droolers out of the depots, store fronts, and parks and who would the finger-pointers have to justify their enmity for society? Deprived of the stench, disease, filth, and unsightliness of the homeless all those collecting fat paychecks compassionately bloviating on behalf of the un-housed might have to find real work.

  4. And yet, Phu Tan Elli, they succeed in perpetrating the myth that this deranged tweaker and his attack on an Asian woman is representative of older, conservative white men and constitutes a “growing threat”.
    In reality, the only growing threat is the increasing numbers of simple-minded Americans who are buying into this nonsense.

  5. Kulak’s fellow-traveler, race-sensitive/backlash variants are mutating faster than the corona virus itself. Presumably some pharmaceutical enterprise will eventually develop a vaccine for sociopathic disorders. They should focus on treatments and therapies for patients prone to tantrums when faced with inconvenient truths about racially-motivated mischief emanating from those of the “European persuasion.” I don’t think western Big Pharma types would be that interested in developing the PsychoVax because there aren’t that many sociopaths so the extent of a profitable market is limited. Beyond that, it’s unclear if they could endure the stench, filth and unsightliness of the afflicted they would need for Phase III testing.

  6. All the “Hate” crime reporting against Asians is getting ginned up for a reason: Identity Socialism. Every ethnic group must be turned into a victim. Race is now The most important characteristic.

  7. Mr Trouble

    now thats a good insult

    your game has been weak of late, but one has to appreciate quality

  8. Well, they finally caught a white supremacist! I was like, those string of black-on-Asian crimes were really making the narrative hard that all the recent attacks are due to white racism as Nancy Pelosi and Daniel Wu tried to insinuate. Congratulations San Jose, you finally caught a real one! I hope he gets put behind bars.

    Of course, I hope all the other non-white attackers also get put behind bars. And stay there, instead of being let out again and again and again, as in the case of Oakland attacker Yahya Muslim. Hate doesn’t just come from whitey. The vast majority are minority-on-Asian. When I look behind my shoulder to check my back, I’m not looking for white supremacy, I’m looking for any dangerous thug.

  9. It will be plea bargained down to time served and he will be released just in time for the next crime by the end of the week.

  10. Notice Facendo Guaio’s obsession with race? “Race-sensitive/backlash variants?” Other than the race of the victim in the piece what’s race got to do with this story? The comments, from readers he sees as “those of European persuasion,” are primarily about the vast population of mentally-ill street people, without their race, gender, or particular diagnosis ever mentioned.

    Don’t think it’s a coincidence that someone with his perspective fantasizes about achieving control over his political opponents through drugs. In the face of the abject failure of one’s political philosophy, silencing those taking notice is the totalitarian thing to do. Drugs, relocation, Obamacare, you get the picture.

  11. He doesn’t look like the average street thug. It would be doubly interesting if this man was not another worthless bum sleeping in an empty shipping crate next to a creek bed. He could very well have a high paying job in the city, a university degree, and MAGA decals on his BMW. He would be cancelled but not jailed.

  12. No, I call b.s. You can’t claim mental illness for the commission of this crime, then a few days later manifest your understanding of the consequences of your crime in court.

  13. Facendo Guaio’s profound innocence is touching. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the proverbial hayseed who just fell off the turnip truck.
    Just imagine believing the news media isn’t deliberately conveying the message that this “increase in violence against Asians” is because of conservative, angry white men.
    This level of gullibility is actually kind of endearing.
    And just think, we’ve got a whole Valley full of these adorable creatures!

  14. Well, well, well…if it isn’t the brotherhood of backlash bots. They’re like an egg dozen: white on the outside, yellow on the inside and subject to cracks at the slightest touch. White fragility on full display (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/white-fragility-definition#summary).

    Including a photo of a crime suspect sends them into uncontrolled convulsions. Use the San Jose Inside search engine for the words “suspect” and “charged” and take a look at “mug shots” that pop up–it’s mostly and disproportionately White men.

    If you’re not convinced, check out the Justice Department’s statistics on hate crimes (https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/hate-crime-statistics). The majority offenders in the U.S. (52.5%) in 2019 were White, more than twice the share as Black offenders (23.9%). In California, anti-White hate crimes were less the 5% of the total reported in 2018 (https://data-openjustice.doj.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2019-07/Hate%20Crime%20In%20CA%2020190701.pdf). It is what it is.

    You got problems with the evidence, take it up with the FBI, an agency consisting overwhelmingly of White people and dominated by White men. You can trust your own kind to tell you the truth about these matters (https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2020/02/fbi-has-failed-move-needle-diversity-over-past-decade-despite-efforts-recent-directors/163127/).

  15. Well, well, well…if it isn’t the brotherhood of backlash bots. They’re like an egg dozen: white on the outside, yellow on the inside and subject to cracks at the slightest touch. White fragility on full display (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/white-fragility-definition#summary).

    Including a photo of a crime suspect sends them into uncontrolled convulsions. Use the San Jose Inside search engine for the words “suspect” and “charged” and take a look at “mug shots” that pop up–they’re mostly and disproportionately White men.

    If you’re not convinced, check out the Justice Department’s statistics on hate crimes (https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/hate-crime-statistics). The majority of offenders in the U.S. (52.5%) in 2019 were White, more than twice the share as Black offenders (23.9%). In California, anti-White hate crimes were less the 5% of the total reported in 2018 (https://data-openjustice.doj.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2019-07/Hate%20Crime%20In%20CA%2020190701.pdf).

    If you do the math on hate crimes in California cities, Beverly Hills comes out on top on a per capita basis. It’s a pretty White place and the location of quite a number of Trump rallies in the months before the November election (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R8aYiNRsJw). I witnessed a couple myself.

    It is what it is. If you cretins have problems with the evidence, take it up with the FBI, an agency consisting overwhelmingly of White people and dominated by White men who collect the data. You can trust your own kind to tell you the truth about these matters (https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2020/02/fbi-has-failed-move-needle-diversity-over-past-decade-despite-efforts-recent-directors/163127/).

  16. Kulak is up at 6:00 a.m. (actually 5:00 a.m. if you figure the change to Daylight Saving Time) to attempt a rebuttal. He really should have his coffee before attempting to write anything. As my teacher used to say “There is no clear writing without clear thinking.”

    It is difficult to discern what Kulak might be trying to say. But one thing is definitely clear–it is fundamentally about race, something Kulak and Co. claim is not the issue–and not an issue–even as Kulak and Co. point to the disproportionate share of hate crimes committed by Blacks (complaining much?) It’s not the only issue–the issues of wealth, class and power for example are even more consequential–but race has unquestionably and inescapably been an issue facing our country and people since the first European settlers barged in uninvited in the New World.

    Speaking of “mugshots,” check out the below pieces from San Jose Inside. Facendo found these photos of people of the “non-White persuasion” by plugging in “suspects” or “charged” into the SJI search engine. (Even a dolt like hoapres could do it.)

    Do we have, or have we ever had, any Hispanics/Latinos, Blacks, South Asians or East Asians (all pictured in the below pieces) melting down in “Brown” rage in the comments section over such photos? I didn’t think so. Like Facendo said, hypersensitive, hair-trigger White fragility on full display.

    (P.S. The rental check is in the mail.)

    https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/deputy-charged-with-staging-drive-by-shooting/
    https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/standoff-at-san-jose-main-jail-ends-with-suspect-in-custody/
    https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/shooting-suspect-trained-by-air-force-in-explosives-anti-terrorism-hand-to-hand-combat/
    https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/santa-clara-man-charged-with-running-investment-scam/
    https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/feb-21-plea-hearing-scheduled-for-san-martin-rape-suspect/ (check out at least three other stories with photos of him)
    https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/authorities-arrest-two-men-suspected-of-multiple-sexual-assaults-in-san-jose-milpitas/
    https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/questions-persist-on-deputy-who-turned-away-murder-suspect/
    https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/2-jail-guards-charged-with-beating-shackled-inmate/

  17. Facendo Guano seems to be under the impression the whiteness of the suspect’s face had something to do with comments stimulated not by identity but by the circumstances of the suspect’s behavior. I’ll admit to being surprised at the depth of Guano’s derangement, but that I’ll attribute to having kept my distance from the stench that passes for education in our rotten school system.

    Guano’s mind is so warped that he actually thinks commenters identify with the suspect, by race and/or gender. That’s nuts. The only shared feelings evident are those of sympathy for the victim and exasperation with this city’s growing community of lunatics. But what’s going on with the likes of Guano is clear: the values long recognized as essential to making a community clean, safe, and prosperous must be smeared as white values, white values based on white racism. It’s almost enough to make one feel sorry for him, but I feel too sorry for America to bother with him.

    It is telling that, in his attempt to make a point about the color of crime, Guano chose to focus on hate crimes, the most nebulous and counterfeit of all criminal allegations. Contrary to behaviors deserving to be outlawed, hate crimes entered into the criminal code despite their lack of substance, scientific or sensory-wise. There exists no credible science for unraveling the thoughts of well-adjusted humans, let alone humans driven to violence or destruction. There are no experts who can, with anything close to the standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt,” reassemble the jumble of thoughts and impulses that precede criminal acts. Hate crimes protect no one, but then that was never the intent. Instead, they meant to provide, under a false flag of tolerance, a blank check (of liberty-depriving potential) to select individuals and groups eager to win special treatment and persecute those against whom they hold enmity. Hate crime statistics are manufactured; they are no more representative of the level of hate in America than is Congress the level of decency. If you want to unmask America’s deep-in-the-gut haters look no farther than those championing hate crimes.

  18. I like the way the news media described the group of 40-60 terrorist assailants as “teenagers”. And of course no way would they release the video to the public.

  19. It’s funny to see how the comments differ when a white man is the criminal vs when a black man is the criminal.

  20. Yooooo. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. His mother is Elfreda Strydom the Chief Operating Officer from the non profit Downtown Streets Team scandal.

  21. Sounds more like an aggravated battery by a meth-head who is most likely homeless. Most likely will get a plea bargain for a lesser offense. After all, what we may be dealing with is the ultimate conundrum of intersectionality: a clash between two protected groups.

    That said, my sympathy is with this woman who was the victim of a senseless assault. Maybe this will encourage Asians to support getting the homeless off our streets and into inpatient mental hospitals — by involuntary commitments if necessary.

  22. I blame Governor Newsom. The prolonged shutdown of California is driving people to do crazy things. Nice the media mentioned this Asian attack but, Hello, Black on Black crime and violence is rising on a daily basis. So one Asian women is attacked, sorry but does not move the needle.

  23. So much attention given here on the attacker instead of the poor woman victim. I hope there is a trial and all of the jurors are women. They would be the ones who would understand the lifelong ramifications on the victim. She will live with this for you rest of her life.

    I hope DA Rosen goes after this perpetrator, and many more like him, with everything he’s got. I don’t care if this guy is black, white, green or purple.

  24. Thank you. Yes, can we all focus on the fact that this victim is a woman? Women are always being attacked. It always shocks me how many men out there in the world hate women when in fact it is women that have good reason to fear and hate men. We are stalked, spied upon, attacked, beaten, assaulted, raped, groped and every other horrible thing by MEN. I don’t hate men but I sure do have reasons to fear them. They give us reasons EVERY SINGLE DAY in the news. Men have no idea what it’s like to worry about being attacked every single time one walks out the front door and into this crazy world. It sucks.

  25. A white racist man from SF came all the way to San Jose to mug an Asia woman in a public transportation tunnel. I’m betting he votes Democrat, has an addiction, and a record.

  26. Find some reporters or shut this nonsense down.
    “You guys gonna come and save that ho?” he allegedly asked.

    allegedly, don’t you have a witness, or a video, duh.

    this is pathetic journalism

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