Woman Who Hurled Racist Abuse at Asians in Viral Videos Jailed for Mall Attack
By Khaleda Rahman On 10/7/20 at 5:48 AM EDT
U.S. Crime Battery Racism California
A woman seen in multiple viral videos hurling racist abuse at Asians in Torrance, California, over the past year has been jailed.
Lena Hernandez, of Long Beach, was sentenced to 45 days in county jail for attacking a woman at a mall last year.
The 54-year-old was handed the jail term, along with three years of probation including anger management classes, after she agreed to plead no contest to a misdemeanor battery.
Hernandez was also ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Kayceelyn Salminao, the victim in the 2019 attack, as well as the mall where it happened.
Salminao tweeted that she was disappointed by the sentence handed to Hernandez.
"45 days is what I'm valued. My safety. All the victims I had to represent since their cases were dismissed. My community. Asian Americans. We are only worth 45 days," she wrote.
But at the end of the day, she was convicted. So no matter how disappointed I am, it's a small win. Woohoo!
— Kayceelyn Salminao (@kayceelyn_a) October 6, 2020
But she added that "at the end of the day, she was convicted. So no matter how disappointed I am, it's a small win. Woohoo!"
In court, Salminao had urged the judge to reject the plea deal. "For nine months I could not go to the places we enjoyed because I feared having to see her again in our community," she said.
In a statement to Newsweek, Salminao's attorney Sandy Roxas said: "We are disappointed with the 45 day county jail sentence. However, our voices as Asian Americans will not be silenced or defined by Lena Herandez. As Asian Americans, we must rise and continually stand up to racism and xenophobia."
Hernandez could not immediately be reached for comment.
Hernandez was filmed at least twice this year, hurling racist abuse at Asian people.
She was seen yelling at an Asian woman exercising in Charles H. Wilson Park in a video that went viral on social media in June.
"Why don't you go somewhere else where you can go to a gym? This is not just for you. Get the f**k out of this world. Get the f**k out of this state. Go back to whatever f**king Asian country you belong in," she said in the clip that was viewed millions of times on Twitter.
"This is not your place, this is not your home. We do not want you here," Hernandez added.
I filed a police report on this same lady back in October 2019 due to a physical attack ON ME. Nothing came of it. What are you going to do about it NOW? @TorrancePD pic.twitter.com/mKObXxxDba
— Kayceelyn Salminao (@kayceelyn_a) June 11, 2020
Our friend and attorney just sent us this video of a very racist and extremely disturbed old lady going off on him while his kids are in the car.... pic.twitter.com/DvkE7oKL5s
— brendon mcnerney (@brendonmcnerney) June 11, 2020
Another video in June, which also amassed millions of views, captured Hernandez making racist comments to an Asian American man.
"You know what? I am not a racist person. But you know? You need to go home," she said in that video. The man replied that he was from the U.S.
"Do you know how many people can't stand you being here? You play games. We don't play games. I play games where you get f****d to death," she added.
She also mocked the man by putting on an accent, saying: "You understand me, Chinaman?"
After those videos went viral, Salminao tweeted that she also had a confrontation with Hernandez in October 2019.
"I filed a police report on this same lady back in October 2019 due to a physical attack ON ME. Nothing came of it. What are you going to do about it NOW," Salminao wrote.
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She told CBS Los Angeles that she was at the Del Amo Fashion Center when she heard the woman berating a janitor in the bathroom. When Salminao told the woman to stop, she said she was attacked.
Salminao said: "She comes out and physically shoves me to the ground and I literally fall to the ground. She points at me and says 'You better not get up or else.'
"As she grabs my hair, she pushes my head down and she's starting to me on the back of my head. She's saying all those really mean words, just like [in] the video."
Hernandez was reportedly interviewed about all three incidents by Torrance Police, but not arrested.
The Torrance City Attorney's Office later confirmed that Hernandez was being charged with battery in connection to the 2019 incident.
She wasn't charged in connection with the other two incidents due to insufficient evidence, it was reported at the time.
This article has been updated with a statement from Sandy Roxas.
A woman holds a sign reading Racism is the original American pandemic during a rally to mark Juneteenth on June 19, 2020, in San Francisco, California. Vivian Lin/AFP via Getty Images