Asian American Hate: Nepali American Rideshare Driver Attacked and Robbed in Oakland, Calif.
- Sagar Tamang, 25, was found unconscious, with severe bruises on his face.
A Nepali American man was getting food from a street vendor near the Fox Theater in Oakland, California, on June 4 night, when he was attacked from behind and physically assaulted. Sagar Tamang, 25, was heading to grab a sandwich after finishing work at 11 p.m. when he suddenly felt something hit the back of his head. The brutal attack left him unconscious. All his belongings including his wallet and phone were gone.
He told ABC 7 that he believes he was targeted because of his race “Because we are Asian, people think we are easy to rob, easy to assault, easy to manipulate.” He wants to use this incident to speak up about the rising hate crimes against Asians. “They need to be vocal about what happened to me so later on the younger people, or people from the Nepalese community can come forward and say ‘oh yeah this happened to me too,’” he said. “People will be able to relate. This is happening with a lot of Asian communities… this happens all the time.”
According to a GoFundMe page set up by his friend Bimala Thapa of Richmond, Tamang was found unconscious with severe bruises to his face, in an alley with only his boxers, t-shirt and socks. “His phone, wallet, pants, boots and long coat were robbed.” The EMS then transported him to Highland Hospital, where he was treated for Level 1 trauma.
“These hate crimes need to stop,” Thapa said.” Our hearts go out to all the people who have been affected, injured and killed by this wave of racist crimes toward the Asian community.”
Tamang, a longtime resident of San Francisco, had recently moved to the East Bay, Thapa said. “We have the right to feel safe where we live without constant fear.”
The funds collected from the GoFUndMe fundraiser will be used for Tamang’s medical bills, neurological surgery, trauma therapy and lost wages from his job, Thapa said, adding that Tamang will not be able to work as a rideshare driver for the next month.
Meanwhile, the Oakland Police Department told ABC 7 that although there has been no determination if this is a hate crime, the investigation is ongoing.
