An Orange County, California, man has been arrested in connection with acts of vandalism in which anti-Asian slurs that were spray-painted over campaign signs for Democratic congressional candidate Dave Min, who’s Korean American.
Huntington Beach Police Department arrested Kevin Walker, a 62-year-old from the city of Fountain Valley, on suspicion of vandalism last week, according to a news release. It comes after reports of two separate incidents in which signs were spray-painted with an anti-Korean derogatory term.
A video documenting the vandalism, that was posted on the Democratic candidate’s social media, shows the hate speech, written in silver paint, across a row of signs.
Attempts to reach Walker were not successful. Min did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment but in a previous statement on the incident, he wrote that the vandalism was “saddening, but not surprising.”
“This type of hate speech does not represent the values of Orange County, and I urge my fellow Orange County elected officials to join me in condemning it,” Min said.
Police said they first responded to a report of vandalism last Tuesday, when they found Min signs defaced with the offensive language. Later that afternoon, they received a second report of vandalized signs in another area. After speaking to witnesses, police located Walker nearby and made the arrest. Currently, investigators believe Walker acted alone. And they are continuing to investigate the incidents.
“The Huntington Beach Police Department takes vandalism seriously, particularly when it involves hate speech,” the police said in a news release last week. “We remain committed to maintaining public safety and investigating all crimes.”
The campaign of Republican Scott Baugh, Min’s opponent, spoke out against the slurs as well.
“We condemn any vandalism of property, including political signs of any candidate for public office,” campaign manager Nic Gerard told the Los Angeles Times. “And, as Scott has repeatedly said, there is absolutely no room for racism of any kind in America.”
Min, a state senator, is currently in a competitive, tight race against Baugh for the 47th Congressional District. The matchup could ultimately help determine control of the House of Representatives. The area has repeatedly swung between parties over the past decade. In that time, Asian Americans have emerged as a critical electorate and now make up about a quarter of the district’s population.
“We don’t have much representation in the halls of political power,” Min previously told NBC News. “Those of us who are Asian American end up representing not just our own districts but Asian Americans across the entire region, maybe across the entire U.S.”