East Palo Alto Man Accused Of Anti-Asian Hate Crime

EAST PALO ALTO, CA — An East Palo Alto man was charged this week as part of an investigation into more than 40 Bay Area purse snatchings and robberies that targeted Asian American women and involved ethnic slurs against them.

Charges were filed Tuesday against Cameron A. Moody, 27, of East Palo Alto, court records show. Moody was charged on three counts related to grand theft and second-degree robbery, according to information provided by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

Last week law enforcement announced charges against Derje D. Blanks, 23, of San Jose and Anthony M. Robinson, 24, of Stockton, on the heels of a yearlong investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.

Blanks was charged with six counts including grand theft; and resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer, according to the DA's Office.

Robinson was charged with nearly 50 charges, most of which were related to grand theft, according to information provided by the DA's Office. He also faces charges related to vandalism, second-degree robbery, guns, hit-and-run resulting in serious injury assault with a deadly weapon and more.

The men, who are Black, have also been charged with hate crime enhancements, which were added to the charges by the district attorney's office.

Robinson cannot be released on bail. Moody and Blanks remained in jail Thursday morning in lieu of approximately $500,000 bail, jail records show.

Robinson and Blanks were located and arrested in San Jose on Sept. 8. Before he was arrested, Robinson fled in a vehicle, ran a red light and collided with another vehicle, which injured a 2-year-old girl and her father, according to police.

Moody was located and arrested in Union City on Sept. 16 by members of the covert response unit. Two loaded firearms were recovered. One of them was a ghost gun, according to police.

Officials are still seeking other people believed to be involved in the crimes, the DA's Office said in a statement last week.

A district attorney's office spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry seeking specific details about the charges each man faced.

San Jose police announced the arrests Friday and said the men worked in concert to commit dozens of robberies throughout the Bay Area since late 2020.

The men were accused of following women to their cars in parking lots, waiting until they got inside, and smashing a window or opening a door to take a purse off the passenger seat. Victims were wrestled or pulled to the ground in many cases, prosecutors said.

Asian American women were frequently targeted, and many of them were injured in the robberies, prosecutors said.

"The suspects targeted Asian women, because — evidence shows — the suspects believed that Asian women don’t use banks," the district attorney's office said.

Most of the attacks under investigation occurred in San Jose, but others took place in Dublin, San Pablo, Hayward, East Palo Alto, Newark, San Leandro, Fremont, Campbell and Milpitas. Agencies elsewhere continue to investigate crimes, the district attorney's office said.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact Detective Amanda Estantino of the San Jose Police Department's robbery unit at 408-277-4166, or Detective Nick Niedenthal of the Hayward Police Department at 510-293-7167.