East LA College professor says he was hit by car, called anti-Asian slur in possible hate crime

MONTEBELLO (KABC) -- A professor at East Los Angeles College who teaches about the history of racism was brutally attacked in a possible hate crime.

Aki Maehara believes he was targeted on April 29 when he was on his riding his e-bike home to Montebello from the college.

"When I turned to look, I saw the shape of a four-door sedan and it looked like it was coming right at me," he told Eyewitness News.

The 71-year-old Vietnam War veteran and longtime professor says that's when a car struck him and he was flung to the ground.

He says the suspect yelled an ethnic slur targeting Asians.

"I heard f**** c***k and I got hit. My bike and I were thrown down. As soon as I hit that row of bricks, I heard the guy say 'go back to f**** ch**k land' and then drove away," he said.

Maehara, who is a Japanese American, was hospitalized with a concussion, fractured cheekbone, a deep cut to his arm and bruises all over his body.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help with recovery.

The incident is now being investigated by the Montebello Police Department as a hate crime. Investigators have not been able to find any surveillance video of the incident.

"There's never been a decade in my life where I have not been racially victimized," he said.

Officials say hate crimes have been on the rise, especially against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Maehara, who teaches history of race beliefs and racism from colonial to U.S. history at ELAC, says he's been targeted for harassment before but says this time he believes someone was lying in wait.

"I wear a full-face helmet with a shield and... a glare visor. So, there's no way anybody can tell I'm Asian."

Despite his injuries, Maehara returned to his classroom on Monday to send a clear message.

"It was important for me to show up because they're trying to stop me," he said.