A woman shown accosting an Asian American woman who was exercising in a Torrance park this week is a 56-year-old woman from Long Beach, police said Friday.
Video of the woman, identified by Torrance police as Lena Hernandez, is shown in a video that has since gone viral telling a woman in the park to “Go back to whatever (expletive) Asian country you belong in.”
Hernandez appears to be the woman in another video showing a man being similarly accosted. “You need to go home,” the woman tells the man in the video.
Police said at a press conference Friday that the woman is also suspected of assaulting another woman in October in a shopping mall.
Hundreds of people gathered at Torrance’s Wilson Park on Crenshaw Boulevard, where the two recent incidents occurred, wearing black clothing and exercising in support of the woman who was accosted.
Participants in Friday morning’s demonstration at Wilson Park said they wanted to show that the community rejects the woman’s words and actions.
Editor’s note: The video below contains profane and offensive language.
#NEW: Mayor of @Torrance responds to a racist incident at a local park going viral tonight.
“The Torrance Police Department is investigating and will determine the appropriate course of action… Conduct like that displayed on the video cannot be tolerated.” – Patrick Furey pic.twitter.com/YZmIPp9JCD
— Veronica Miracle (@vmiracleCNN) June 11, 2020