Asian woman fatally stabbed by drugged suspect in California’s Riverside area

While the rate of physical assaults and violent crimes against the Asian-American community in the US growing exponentially, an Asian woman was fatally stabbed in the Riverside area of California on Sunday, reportedly by Darlene Stephanie Montoya, a 23-year-old resident of Monterey Park, Los Angeles, who was under the influence of drugs. However, law enforcement authorities said that a hate crime does not seem to be the intent of the crime. 

The victim of the stabbing was identified as Ke Chieh Meng, 64, who sustained severe injuries on her abdomen and experienced blood loss. The woman was walking her dogs when she was stabbed and later succumbed to the injuries after being taken to a nearby medical facility. 

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Montoya, who fled the crime scene after the incident, was taken into custody by the law enforcement authorities with the help of civilians reporting “a transient woman walking through their yards and appearing suspicious”, reported CNN.

The 23-year-old, after being detained by the police, was charged with weapons violation, suspicion of murder and acting under the influence of controlled substances at the Robert Presley Detention Center. Montoya is being held under a ‘without bail’ condition.

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A spokesperson for the Riverside law enforcement authorities, officer Ryan Railsback, said that the responding unit dispatched to the crime scene did not find any probable cause for Ke Chieh Meng’s Asian origin playing a role in the fatal attack, reported CNN.