Criminal Justice
Lawyer among 3 people charged in alleged attack on 2 Jewish men
A lawyer is among three men who face assault and battery charges for allegedly attacking two Israeli-American men who were speaking Hebrew outside a restaurant in San Jose, California. (Image from Shutterstock)
A lawyer is among three men who face assault and battery charges for allegedly attacking two Israeli-American men who were speaking Hebrew outside a restaurant in San Jose, California.
Bruneil Henry Chamaki, 32, of Morgan Hill, California—who worked with Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld in Sacramento, California, until the end of January—and brothers Roma Akoyans, 20, and Ramon Akoyans, 18, of San Jose, California, were captured on video punching the two men as they waited for a table March 8, KTVU reports. One of the defendants also allegedly yelled an antisemitic slur.
“We won’t tolerate pummeling a victim on the ground in front of a restaurant or anywhere, and we will hold the perpetrators fully accountable,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said when announcing the charges in a March 16 press release. “Our public spaces have to be safe for all to enjoy without fear.”
The district attorney’s office said hate crime charges have not been filed at this time, but the investigation is ongoing.
Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld also provided a statement to KTVU, noting that the law firm “was shocked and disturbed to learn of the violent incident reported in San Jose.”
“The conduct described in the reports is deeply troubling,” according to the statement. “Murphy Austin condemns antisemitism, violence and acts of hatred in any form.”
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