Dylan J. Kesterson, a 34-year-old white man, has been charged with hate crimes after he attacked a 5-year-old girl and her father from California because he thought they were Japanese, KOIN CBS-6 in Portland reports.
The 36-year-old man and his daughter were riding bicycles along the Eastbank Esplanade on Saturday when Kesterson approached them yelling anti-Japanese speech. Kesterson then started hitting the father in the face and head; he also hit the girl a number of times on her bike helmet. Kesterson did not attack the mother.
“I am outraged and disgusted by the assault that occurred on the Eastbank Esplanade. We will not tolerate this kind of behavior in our community and I will ask the District Attorney to pursue maximum penalty,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a statement.