The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office has filed charges against a Denver man for two separate reported incidents of hate speech and harassment in the San Ramon Valley over last holiday weekend.
Jordan Douglas Krah, 40, is facing one misdemeanor charge of interference with civil rights and one misdemeanor charge of assault and battery for incidents in San Ramon on Christmas Eve and in Danville on Christmas Day.
The first incident was well documented in a now-viral Tik-Tok video that garnered widespread attention when a man -- later identified by police as Krah -- interrupted two content creators with a confrontation rife with racist and homophobic remarks as they were reviewing the "Flying Dutchman" from the secret menu of In-N-Out Burger.
Arine Kim of Moraga and Elliott Ha of Livermore were sitting down with their meals on Dec. 24 and beginning to capture video when a man's voice off-camera is heard calling them "weird homosexuals" for filming themselves. The man continued to make derogatory comments to the pair, including calling Ha "Kim Jong Un's boyfriend," and saying he could spit on them before exiting the restaurant and saying he'd see them outside and reportedly watching them through the window.
Authorities allege Krah went on to spit on another person at Lunardi's in Danville on Dec. 25, leading to the misdemeanor battery charge from the DA's office.
Kim and Ha's TikTok footage has since gone viral, leading to a plethora of media coverage and reaching the eyes of numerous viewers. One of these was San Ramon Police Chief Denton Carlson, who posted on Twitter on Dec. 25 asking for the public's help identifying and contacting the victims, as the police department used surveillance footage to aid in identifying the suspect.
Carlson later posted an image of a man in a silver Ford Mustang with Florida license plates that was captured in Danville, during the incident that day "when similar behavior was exhibited."
San Ramon police officials named Krah as the suspect and announced that he had been taken into custody on Dec. 26. He had posted bail as of Dec. 29.
Krah's arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 1 at 8:30 a.m. While investigating the two San Ramon Valley incidents, the DA's office learned that Krah was also facing prosecution for a vehicular assault in Denver, with authorities in Colorado poised to extradite him.
If convicted of the two misdemeanor charges against him in Contra Costa County, Krah would face a maximum sentence of one year and six months in county jail.
Comments
Registered user
Danville
on Dec 31, 2022 at 9:17 am
Registered user
on Dec 31, 2022 at 9:17 am
Hopefully Mr. Krah will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by the DA.
This incident constitutes a hate crime in addition to the misdemeanor charges.
"...the DA's office learned that Krah was also facing prosecution for a vehicular assault in Denver, with authorities in Colorado poised to extradite him."
^ In lieu of being released on bail, Mr. Krah should have been detained & remanded to the Contra Costa County jail pending extradition to Colorado.
Danville and San Ramon do not need these kinds of racist & hate-filled incidents.
Registered user
San Ramon
on Dec 31, 2022 at 10:45 am
Registered user
on Dec 31, 2022 at 10:45 am
I am also curious why this individual was released on bail in Contra Costa County given that Colorado is seeking extradition for a prior vehicular assault charge.
At Mr. Krah's arraignment for these recent San Ramon/Danville assaults, the presiding judge should have noted and cited the prior Colorado charges and extradition request as a justifiable reason for denying bail and release from the Contra Costa County Jail.
With a pending Colorado arrest and arraignment + a February 2023 pre-trial hearing scheduled in Contra Costa County, what are the odds that he could be a 'Failure to Appear' at one or both hearings?
The police are admirably doing their job in both San Ramon and Danville to ensure public safety and quality of life and all things considered, their efforts should not be undermined by an overly lenient court system.
Registered user
Walnut Creek
on Dec 31, 2022 at 1:26 pm
Registered user
on Dec 31, 2022 at 1:26 pm
"If convicted of the two misdemeanor charges against him in Contra Costa County, Krah would face a maximum sentence of one year and six months in county jail."
° It is highly unlikely that Mr. Krah will be sentenced to a maximum jail term in Contra Costa County.
By pleading no contest, he will probably get probation and be required to complete a diversion program focused on anger management and curtailing racism.
"...Krah was also facing prosecution for a vehicular assault in Denver, with authorities in Colorado poised to extradite him."
° Depending on the property damages and/or serious physical injuries pertaining to this incident, incarceration in jail or prison + restitution is a distinct possibility.
The final outcome will depend on whether Mr. Krah appears in court to face all of the charges or jumps bail which will obviously result in a bench warrant issued for his arrest.
Registered user
San Ramon
on Dec 31, 2022 at 1:50 pm
Registered user
on Dec 31, 2022 at 1:50 pm
Speaking as a Korean-American who has experienced racial epithets attributable to the coronavirus epidemic and related xenophobia, I am hoping that this individual is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The TicTok expose of his rantings and verbal harassments at In-N-Out-Burger in San Ramon speaks volumes as did his spitting incident at Lunardi's in downtown Danville.
Mr. Krah's anti-social and racist behavior is not reflective of Danville and San Ramon citizens.
A public apology on his part and mandatory jail time is warranted.
Registered user
another community
on Dec 31, 2022 at 2:14 pm
Registered user
on Dec 31, 2022 at 2:14 pm
Fortunately this uncalled for racist incident at In-N-Out-Burger did not escalate into physical violence.
The young Korean couple showed great restraint in trying to laugh-off the verbal altercation but in other neighborhoods, things could have gotten far worse.
One of my best friends in school is an African-American collegiate football player from East LA and he mentioned that this kind of bad behavior is dealt with accordingly.
Registered user
San Ramon
on Jan 1, 2023 at 8:51 am
Registered user
on Jan 1, 2023 at 8:51 am
Mr. Krah should be banned from entering any In-N-Out-Burger outlet in the future with a permanent 86.
And it wouldn't hurt if he was also permanently banned from entering the Town of Danville and the City of San Ramon.
We do not need disruptive individuals with racist attitudes and anger management issues in Contra Costa County or anywhere.