Suspect In San Ramon In-N-Out Racist, Homophobic Rant Arrested

SAN RAMON, CA — A man accused of making racist and homophobic slurs at a San Ramon In ‘N’ Out Burger on Christmas Eve has been arrested and charged with hate crimes, San Ramon police said Monday.

Jordan Douglas Krah, a 40-year-old from Denver, allegedly harassed two Asian-American diners while they were filming a TikTok video. San Ramon Police Chief Carlson Denton said in a statement that San Ramon detectives initiated a criminal investigation following the video, and arrested Krah Monday afternoon.

Krah is in custody as of Monday at the Martinez Detention Facility and charged with two counts of PCC 422.6, defined as intimidating, oppressing or threatening other people “ in whole or in part because of one or more of the actual or perceived characteristics of the victim.”

“During their meal, a male suspect approached the victims unprovoked and engaged in a homophobic and racist rant, causing the victims to fear for their safety,” Denton said.

On Sunday, Chief Carlson said on social media that police were seeking information about the suspect, and posted a photo of a man in a silver Mustang with Florida plates. Someone recognized the suspect at a Target in San Ramon and called the police, according to a CBS report.

“The San Ramon Police Department strives to ensure everyone in our community feels safe and welcome. We will continue to take swift and diligent legal action against acts of hate to help create an inclusive place for all to live, work, and visit,” Denton said Monday.

In the viral video, which has received 3.2 million views as of Tuesday morning, a man approaches two people filming themselves eating a burger.

“You’re filming yourself while eating? You’re weird homosexuals,” the man said.

The man then asked the two diners, since identified as Arine Kim and Elliot Ha, whether they are Japanese or Korean. Ha answered that he is Korean, to which the man replied, “That’s what I thought. You’re Kim Jong Un’s boyfriend, huh.”

Ha initially gave joking responses to the suspect, but Kim urged him to stop. The suspect then appears to approach closer, and say, “Normally I could spit in your face. That’s some Filipino sh*. You want some Filipino sh*?”

The suspect then said, “I’m a slavemaster, you f** f**,” and then “See you outside in a minute.”

Immediately after the incident, employees walked the two to their car to make sure the suspect wasn’t waiting for them, according to a CBS report. The two told CBS that since their video went viral, they have received an outpouring of support online. While they were in line at In-N-Out on Monday, another customer in line even paid for their meals, according to CBS.

"Honestly, I'm very overwhelmed by the support," Kim told CBS. “In that moment, and I think for us, especially for a lot of people of color, a lot of Asian Americans that go through hate crimes, like I've been verbally assaulted on more than one occasion, not to the degree that that man went to, but most of the time you don't think that someone will ever take you seriously."

Krah is accused of harassing other people on Christmas morning in downtown Danville. He allegedly yelled to people of Filipino descent, “ "You guys are gonna vandalize the shop, you're gonna rob the place, I don't trust you guys. Leave! You guys are Filipino idiots!" according to reports from KTVU and ABC-7 News.

Kim told CBS that that victim, Abigail Halili, contacted her, and she said it was the same man.

Numerous hate crimes against Asian-Americans have been reported, particularly since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Between March 2020 and March 2022, more than 11,400 hate incidents against Asian-Americans have been reported across the United States, according to a study from the group Stop AAPI hate.

In March, a Japanese-American Danville resident wearing a mask was told to “Go to China” by a neighbor, Twitter footage showed.

Stop AAPI Hate has provided resources on how to stay safe and report hate crimes.