A Korean-American man who was randomly attacked by a suspect while walking in Oakland, Northern California, has become a hot topic after managing to subdue the assailant himself and hand him over to the police.
According to the Oakland Police Department, at around 7:30 p.m. on the 29th of last month, Tom Tak (55), a resident of Fremont in Northern California, was attacked with an iron pipe by a white male suspect estimated to be in his 30s along the Lake Merritt walking trail.
Even though he sustained a head injury, Tak managed to subdue the assailant and handed him over to police officers who arrived following reports from witnesses.
In an interview with the publication on the 1st, Tak shared the details of the incident, stating, “As I was heading home after finishing work, the night view of the lake was so pretty that I briefly parked my car and went for a walk. While taking pictures, a man holding an iron pipe suddenly approached me.”
He continued, “When the assailant rushed at me swinging the iron pipe, I instinctively fought back and rushed toward him.”
Because Tak did not stand still and instead charged at his opponent, the iron pipe missed a direct hit to his head, glancing off the handle portion instead.
Afterward, when the attacker attempted to run away with Tak's cell phone, Tak rushed at him again, knocked him to the ground, and pinned him down so he could not move.
Working as a realtor in areas such as Silicon Valley and Fremont, he explained that he had practiced kendo from high school through college.
Tak stated, “I am the type of person who normally cannot just walk past bad things happening. At that time, too, without much thought, I instinctively tried to subdue the assailant.”
Citizens who witnessed the scene called the police. According to Tak, it took over 10 minutes for the police to arrive, and during that time, he continuously held onto the perpetrator.
Initially, Tak intended to let the perpetrator go without filing a separate report, but following the police's recommendation that a formal report should be filed to prevent similar victims, he proceeded with filing charges.
Currently, the police are investigating the case, and the perpetrator is reportedly in custody.
However, it has not been confirmed whether this attack was a hate crime targeting Asians. Tak explained, “It seemed like the assailant shouted as he approached, but I couldn't hear it clearly because I was wearing earphones.”
