A Southern California man was charged with a hate crime Monday after allegedly hurling rocks at an Asian American woman and her 6-year-old son. The Orange County District Attorney’s office alleged in a statement that Roger Janke, 28, threw two rocks at the unnamed woman’s Tesla as she drove by him in Fullerton, damaging her bumper and windshield. “The man later told police Koreans in the area were trying to control him,” said the statement. Janke has been charged with a felony count of violation of civil rights and one felony hate crime enhancement. “I refuse to tolerate hate in Orange County,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “A woman and her child should be able to drive down the street without worrying about being attacked because of the color of their skin.” The incident is the latest in a wave of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
