Man charged for kicking 88-year-old Asian woman linked to previous attack on SF Chinatown leader
By Carl Samson
July 26, 2023
A man accused of kicking a senior Asian woman in San Francisco’s Union Square area on July 21 is the same man convicted of attacking a Chinatown leader in a widely reported incident in 2021, records show.
The latest attack: James Lee Ramsey, 27, was arrested immediately after the latest incident, which occurred on Ellis Street near Market Street at around 11:15 a.m. last Friday. The victim, 88, was heading home after buying some avocados when he allegedly kicked her to the ground.
The victim was initially reported to have massive internal bleeding. Subsequent reports say she was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A career criminal: Ramsey, an Oakland resident, is the same man convicted of assaulting Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce President Carl Chan in 2021. At the time, Chan accused Ramsey of yelling “f*ck you Chinatown!” before striking him in the head.
Ramsey faced hate crime charges for the attack, but those were dropped after he pleaded no contest to his assault charge. He was sentenced to 18 months in county jail followed by 18 months of supervision, which he had both served.
Ramsey was also wanted on a warrant in Alameda County when he was arrested last week. Now, he faces up to 10 years in state prison for his latest charges, which include felony elder abuse, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, battery causing serious bodily injury, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor vandalism.
The crimes that Mr. Ramsey is accused of are horrific. I am grateful to the witness who was able to detain him until police arrived ensuring that he did not flee. My office, on behalf of the victims, and every San Franciscan who is fed up with brazen violence like this, will stand for justice and seek to hold him accountable for his crimes.
Reported mental illness: Ramsey was previously reported to have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In February 2022, a GoFundMe page was created for his benefit, but it was reportedly taken down after he was arrested again.
Chan, for his part, has expressed disappointment about the fundraiser.
“When you were able to get support from many people and doing the wrong thing, and when you came out and you’re financially rewarded,” he said, according to KTVU.
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