‘Torrance Karen’ seen in racist rant videos against Asian Americans facing charge for 2019 incident

A warrant was out for the arrest of a woman who went on a pair of racist rants aimed at Asian Americans at a Torrance park in June. She is now wanted in connection with a separate battery charge in an incident that occurred at the Del Amo Fashion Center, officials said.

The woman has since been identified as Lena Hernandez, a 54-year-old retired social worker.

She was filmed at Wilson Park last month going off in two racist rants directed at an Asian American woman working out, as well as an Asian American man and his young son.
“I feel like her attacks against those people were uncalled for and definitely racist and not ok,” parkgoer Mei Louie Park said.

RELATED

• Racist rants caught on camera in Torrance, police investigating

• Woman who went on racist rant at Torrance park identified; victims speak out

Another parkgoer agreed and said what Hernandez did was unacceptable.

“Somebody needs to something for what she did because that wasn’t right,” Megan Magdalena said.

However, the warrant against Hernandez is for a battery charge stems from an alleged physical assault last fall at Del Amo Fashion Center.

On that incident, Hernandez allegedly verbally assaulted a custodian then y pushed an Asian American female bystander who tried to intervene. We talked to the victim last month after she saw the viral video of the racist rants.

Get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.

“As soon as I saw that video, I jumped up and told my husband ‘that’s the woman that’s the woman who attacked me back then!’” assault victim Kayceelyn Salminao said.

Salminao said she’s happy something is being finally done but wishes it didn’t take the racist rants to happen for Torrance police to act.

Torrance officials did not have enough evidence to charge Hernandez in the verbal assault incidents.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact the Torrance Police Department.

CNS contributed to this report.

Equity InclusionUs Ca/los Angeles-county/torrance