Police seek witnesses after Placer County man assaulted, seriously injured in Folsom
Investigators this week were seeking information and witnesses after someone assaulted a man who suffered serious facial injuries in Folsom, police officials said.
The attack was reported as an assault and robbery about 1:20 a..m. Saturday near Scott and Canal streets, said Officer Andrew Graham, a spokesman for the Folsom Police Department. He said the victim, who had lost consciousness during the assault, reported that a while man with black hair and light-colored clothing had assaulted him and stolen his credit cards from his wallet.
Romney Kang, who has started a fundraiser on GoFundMe to pay for his medical expenses, says he was attacked in what he believes was a hate crime. Kang wrote in a post on online fundraiser that he was attacked by two or three white men wearing white shirts who “didn’t even take my wallet, any credit cards, phone, or car. Just me.”
Kang, a Placer County resident, wrote that the suspects “left me for dead and someone found me a few hours later on a sidewalk in downtown Folsom. I’m 99% sure it was a hate attack in these dark times.”
Graham said there’s nothing in the report from police investigators — based on the information from the victim — that indicates the assault was a hate crime, other than the description of the suspect. Graham said investigators canvassed the area and found two security cameras from nearby businesses, but both cameras were not facing in the direction where the victim was found.
Investigators are still reviewing the video footage trying to find any potential suspects in the assault, Graham said.
The victim told police that he had met up with friends earlier that night to have drinks at a bar along Sutter Street, and his recollection of what happened to him was “hazy” when he spoke to investigators, Graham said. The victim also told police that he last saw the suspect leaving the area on Scott Street toward Natoma Street.
Graham said the victim suffered significant facial injuries, including a jaw fracture.
Kang wrote that he had been in intensive care since Friday night, and he would undergo three surgeries to treat his injuries, not including oral surgeries he will need for broken and missing teeth. He also wrote that his nose and cheekbones were broken in the assault, and his jaw would be wired shut to repair the alignment of his jaw.
Investigators asked anyone with information about last weekend’s assault or who witnessed the assault to call the Folsom Police Department at 916-355-7231
