Authorities arrest San Francisco man who filmed beating of elderly Asian man

Published February 28, 2020 7:12pm ET



A 20-year-old man filmed the assault and robbery of a 68-year-old Asian man and posted it to social media, according to San Francisco police.

On Monday, police became aware of a video posted to social media which featured a young black man beating an elderly Asian man with a stick. The older man had been collecting recyclables and placing them in a cart when he was attacked and robbed.

The person recording the attack, who was identified as Dwayne Grayson, mocked the man as he tried to recover his cart and the recyclables he had been collecting. He shouted at the elderly man to “go get your cans” and at one point yelled, “I hate Asians.”

Authorities identified the Asian man from the footage after seeking help from the public. He revealed that the attack left him in pain but that he did not suffer a visible injury from the beating. The man was also unable to recover his collected recyclables.

Grayson was arrested on Thursday. Authorities alleged that Grayson was responsible for filming the video and posting it to social media. He faces charges of robbery, elder abuse, a probation violation for a prior robbery conviction, and a hate crime enhancement. One other man who was involved in the attack was identified, but the person has not yet been apprehended by authorities.