On March 14, at a Sam's Club Store in Midland, Texas, a man attempted to murder three Asian-American family members, including a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old. According to Yahoo News, the FBI's Houston office has deemed the attack a hate crime.
The assailant, Jose L. Gomez, 19, indicated to investigators that he stabbed the family because he thought they were Chinese and were infecting people with coronavirus. A Sam's Club employee and another shopper worked to get Gomez under control, and were finally able to subdue him when an off-duty Border Patrol agent got involved.
An FBI intelligence report distributed to law enforcement agencies across the country indicates that federal officials believe hate crimes will increase as COVID-19 continues to spread.