Michael Vivona, 25, was arrested and is being held on $65,000 bail
On April 1, he allegedly berated Sakura Kokumai, a Japanese American who competes at the Olympic level in karate for the United States
She posted video of the incident on Instagram, which partially showed the man
This Sunday, Vivona allegedly punched a 79-year-old man and 80-year-old woman, a Korean American couple strolling in the same park Kokumai was in
People recognized Vivona from Kokumai s videos, helping lead to his arrest
Man Arrested for Alleged Hate Crimes in Orange iheart.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iheart.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Olympian Sakura Kokumai s harasser arrested after attacking elderly Korean couple Cassandra Negley
The man who verbally harassed Olympian Sakura Kokumai and called her racial slurs was arrested after he attacked an elderly couple in the same park over the weekend, authorities said.
Kokumai, 28, was training in an Orange, California, park on April 2 when a man began yelling at her and used slurs. She shared videos to her Instagram account and spoke about it during a media event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It was the video that helped get the man arrested.
The incidents come amid a sharp rise in anti-Asian hate and discrimination since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Orange County experienced a tenfold increase in hate incident reports in 2020, per the Orange County Human Relations nonprofit.
Man allegedly assaults elderly Asian couple, threatens Japanese-American Olympian in Orange
By Mary Stringini
Authorities in Orange arrested a man suspected in two separate hate crimes.
ORANGE, Calif. - A man who said he hates Asians was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an elderly Korean American couple at a park in Orange after allegedly threatening violence against a Japanese American Olympic athlete, police said Monday.
Michael Vivona, 25, of Corona, was Sunday arrested for elder abuse and committing a hate crime. He was also arrested for threatening a Japanese American on April 1, police said. He currently remains in the Orange County jail on a $65,000 bond.
Man accused of punching elderly Asian couple at Orange park 10news.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 10news.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.