IRVINE, Calif. — An Asian-American man is accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an Asian woman he believed was white, authorities said. The attack was an apparent retaliation for the rise in hate crimes against Asians, police said.
Michael Sangbong Rhee, 37, of Lake Forest, was arrested April 8 and charged with kidnapping with intent to commit a sexual assault, the Irvine Police Department said in a Facebook post.
Rhee is being held at Orange County Jail on $1 million bail, The Orange County Register reported.
According to the Irvine Police Department, an Asian woman was sitting in her car near her apartment on the afternoon of April 8 and looked up to see Rhee holding a handgun. According to a criminal complaint, Rhee allegedly told the woman that if she wanted to live, she would have to get into the back of her vehicle, KCBS reported.
The woman allegedly offered Rhee her wallet and cash, but police said the man replied he would “do that later,” before pushing her into the back seat, KTLA reported.
“The victim believed she was going to be sexually assaulted or killed and began to look for an opportunity to escape,” the Irvine Police Department said in its Facebook post. “As she struggled with Rhee, he committed a sexual battery against her. The victim yelled to a maintenance worker nearby that Rhee had a gun. Rhee then exited the vehicle, ran through the apartment community, and got into his vehicle.”
Surveillance cameras captured Rhee’s license plate as he was leaving the complex, KCBS reported.
Irvine officers went to Rhee’s residence and detained him, Irvine Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Karie Davies told the Register.
Detectives obtained a search warrant and recovered several items from Rhee’s home, including a BB gun similar to the weapon described by the woman, Davies said. Detectives also found a vehicle that linked him to the alleged assault, according to the Register.
The woman Rhee is accused of assaulting was of Asian descent, but detectives said they believe he targeted her because he thought she was white “based on the totality of the investigation and statements made by Rhee,” KTLA reported.