A San Francisco man suspected of attacking a woman and calling her ethnic slurs at a San Jose train station in early March was set to be arraigned March 12 in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
The 26-year-old woman, who is of Asian descent, was waiting for a morning commuter train at Diridon Station about 7 a.m. March 10 when Johan Strydom allegedly attacked her, police said.
Authorities said Strydom, 32, grabbed the woman by her neck, threw her onto the floor and said “(Expletive) you, Asians.”
The alleged attack lasted for about a minute until the woman’s boyfriend, who was on the phone with her, rushed back to the station in his car and along with witnesses helped stop the assault, authorities said.
Some witnesses followed the suspect to a nearby bus stop and San Jose police officers arrested Strydom minutes later near SAP Center.
“This is every woman’s nightmare, and this is our community’s nightmare,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “This is also a tale of heroism. Our community came to this woman’s aid and stopped the attack.”
Strydom faces charges of assault with intent to commit rape and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. The DA’s office also added hate crime enhancements.
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