A San Francisco police officer responding to a call about a man making threats against Asians in Chinatown, was attacked Friday and aided by civilians.
The suspect was allegedly making threats the day before, saying he "specializes in killing Asian people."
Video shows the Asian female officer, who was holding a less-lethal shotgun, approach Contreras, then tell him to turn around and put his hands on his head.
He appears to oblige, and she slings the shotgun on her shoulder and she starts to take the man into custody. When she asked if he had any weapons in his possession, the video shows that he turns around, shoves her and wrestles with her before pushing her to the ground, ABC7 reports.
Several men can be seen on the video quickly jumping into action, tackling, hitting and trying to pry the suspect off of the officer, who appears to be about half the size of her assailant.
According to documents obtained by ABC7, the suspect—identified by authorities as Geraldo Contreras—has a record of prior arrests, including aggravated assault, elder abuse and assaults on officers in other parts of California. It's unclear if he was ever convicted.
