Security cameras capture alleged attack, Good Samaritan
A 59-year-old man was arrested for the second time in a 24-hour period on Wednesday afternoon after what police say was a racially motivated attack that caused injury to a woman in Historic Folsom one day earlier.
Mamikon Shushanyan, whom police identify as a transient, was arrested on felony battery and hate crime charges. The arrest came one day after the incident occurred in the area of the Historic Folsom parking garage and the Light Rail Station.
The original call came in on Tuesday at approximately 11:50 a.m. Folsom Police report that they received a 911 call about a man acting erratically near the Sutter Street parking garage. The man was waving his arms, pacing, and yelling at people in the area. While Folsom Police dispatchers were on the phone with a caller reporting the incident, the man reportedly proceeded to attack an adult woman walking nearby, kicking her after he pushed her to the ground.
The caller intervened as police were en route and restrained the man while officers rushed to the scene and detained him, according to the police report. Another passerby in the area helped the victim and stayed with her until officers were able to assist her. A nearby security camera captured the assault from a distance before they disappeared behind a bus.
Officers learned that the man had used a racial epithet (phrase) toward the victim prior to the attack. The crime was initially classified as a misdemeanor battery with a hate crime enhancement. Shushanyan was then arrested for the misdemeanor and released on citation, per California law.
During a follow-up investigation and with the victim seeking medical care, investigators learned that the attack had resulted in a fracture, which elevated the crime to a felony. On Wednesday, officers searched for and located Shushanyan. He was arrested on the felony battery charge (PC243(D)) with a felony hate crime enhancement (PC422.7(A)) and booked into the Sacramento County Jail.
“While we always caution residents about physically intervening to stop a crime in progress, in this case, the assistance from people in the area was very valuable to protect the victim and stop the assault,” the Folsom Police Department said in a statement.
According to Sacramento County Jail records, Shushanyan was taken into custody with bail set at $50,000.00.
Update: Shushanyan was released from custody as of 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday March 26.