Two Asian American women have been killed in recent weeks during suspected robberies at massage parlors in Albuquerque, putting the city’s Asian community on edge.
“There is something going on and we don’t know what’s happening, but it’s terrifying,” Kristelle Siarza, a volunteer at the Asian Business Collaborative, told the Albuquerque Journal. “These strings of little robberies are becoming such a big gateway for where we are now.”
Authorities are still working to determine whether the robberies intentionally targeted Asian American businesses. KRQE Albuquerque reported that officers were sent to the Canna Spa Massage after receiving a report of a possible robbery on Tuesday night. When they arrived, police found an employee, a woman of Chinese descent, had been killed.
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A person of interest was spotted in surveillance footage, which showed a man wearing a black hat driving a black pickup truck. He was carrying a briefcase and a gun could be seen in his waistband, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
The victim’s name has not yet been released.
But just weeks ago, Juan Carlos Hernandez and Jorge Rivera-Ramirez were charged with the murder of a massage parlor owner during another attempted robbery. Wonderful Massage owner Sihui Fang, who was from China, was killed in January when one of the men held up the business with a gun after pretending to be a customer, KRQE reported. Fang attempted to escape but got caught in a shootout with the two suspects and died. After being arrested, one of the men allegedly admitted to police that he and the other suspect had previously robbed other massage parlors.
“Thieves are getting sneakier,” Siarza told KOB4 Albuquerque. “They’re filing an appointment as if they’re just a regular client of the massage parlor, and then they’re committing the crime as they come in for their appointment. So, massage owners are starting to be very skeptical."
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina told KRQE that massage parlors tend to be robbery targets because they have cash on hand. He also acknowledged that Asian Americans workers might not want to report crimes because they are hesitant about their immigration statuses being known, or their businesses not having appropriate licenses.
The recent spate of violence has left many in Albuquerque’s Asian American community scared for their safety. According to KOB4, Siarza said the trend has increased over the last year—and it picked up even more since Christmas.
She also explained that some victims have lost faith in the criminal justice system after authorities allegedly discouraged them from reporting crimes.
“At this point in time, it’s a matter of safety and security for everybody,” she told Albuquerque Journal. “Not just Asian-owned businesses.”
The Albuquerque Police Department urged residents to report crimes in a public service announcement on Facebook Wednesday.
“We want the Asian community to know that we stand strong with them during this difficult time,” Chief Medina said in the accompanying video. “We want the Asian community to know that it is safe to report a crime to the Albuquerque Police Department. …It’s important that the Asian community knows that we’re here to help during times of violent crime.”
Multiple Albuquerque residents bashed the police for long hold times, their lack of response to reports, and staffing issues.
“The city needs to re-evaluate their department,” Angela Corelis said on Facebook. “I filed four police reports and nobody responded. I literally had video evidence to give to detectives who could have caught the criminals, now it's a mute point. Thank God I've moved out of [Albuquerque]. You should call the emergency number, see how long it takes. It's a complete embarrassment, with all due respect.”
“I had a forced entry at my business that [Albuquerque Police Department] never responded to,” Dustin Hoefel wrote. “Today, I got a notice to pay for my [False] Alarm Reduction Permit. Why should I pay for that when I couldn’t get a response to an actual alarm call?”
“If police did their job a lot more and actually had a better attitude towards the community they serve, and lost the ego and arrogance and found their love for the people again, it would be a different City of Albuquerque right now,” said Monica Marie Griego.
Medina said that police would continue to investigate the murder-robbery at Canna Spa Massage.
“Detectives are working around the clock to solve this case,” he said.
