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Suspect in death preyed on older Asians, police say
Mar 12, 2021
By Megan Cassidy
A man police said had a history of preying on older Asian people is facing murder charges after a 75-year-old man who was robbed and shoved to the ground in Oakland died Thursday from a traumatic head injury that left him brain-dead.
Alameda County prosecutors filed special circumstances murder charges against Teaunte Bailey, 26, of Oakland after Pak Ho died from injuries suffered in Tuesday’s attack, the latest case of violence against a person of Asian descent in the Bay Area.
Police say Ho, an Oakland resident, was walking in the area of Jayne Avenue and Perkins Street just before 7 a.m. Tuesday when Bailey robbed him and caused him to strike his head on the pavement.
Bailey, who police say has a criminal history dating to 2012, was booked into Alameda County jail Wednesday. His arraignment is scheduled for Friday morning.
Prosecutors on Thursday also filed charges against Bailey in a separate February case also involving an older Asian victim.
On Feb. 19, police responded to a senior living center on the 1200 block of Center street on a report of a robbery inside one of the apartments. Prosecutors allege that Bailey “violently shoved” the 72-year-old man, robbed him of his cell phone and made off with several items from his home.
In a news statement, Oakland police said officers learned that Bailey had a history of victimizing elderly Asian people.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said. “Our elders should be protected not the victim of a deadly assault. I am thankful that our officers were able to quickly respond and arrest Mr. Bailey.”
In addition to murder, Bailey is charged in the two incidents with second-degree robbery, evading an officer, residential robbery and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury.
Bailey has a long criminal history in Alameda County that includes convictions for burglaries, assault and multiple parole violations, according to police and court records. He was on probation in Alameda County at the time of his latest arrest, after a strong-arm robbery that took place last year outside the same Center Street senior living center as the February attack.
Police say Bailey was driving a stolen Toyota Rav 4 in the area of the senior center on June 26 when he got out of the sport utility vehicle and tried to grab the belongings of two victims, identified in court records as Peiling Mai and Jianfeng Li.
As the victims struggled to keep their items, police said Bailey pushed both of them to the ground, repeatedly punched one in the face and ripped the second victim’s purse and shopping bag away. Bailey was arrested the next day after police found him in a vehicle that had been carjacked, authorities said.
Bailey was convicted on a felony assault charge and sentenced to a term of 64 days time served and five years of probation, according to Alameda County court records.
Last year, he pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of stolen property after he and a woman were arrested for robbing a victim in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood. He spent 179 days in jail before being released with an ankle monitor.
In that case, police said, Bailey was one of two people who on April 4, 2020, committed a robbery with a replica gun. San Francisco police arrested Bailey and Melissa Taylor, 24, of Oakland after a pursuit across the Bay Bridge, in which Taylor was the driver.
Police additionally found Taylor’s infant in the car, and booked Taylor on charges including robbery, child endangerment and evading a police officer.
San Francisco prosecutors charged both Taylor and Bailey with robbery. Bailey later pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property after prosecutors said witnesses said only the woman committed the robbery.
Taylor’s case is still awaiting trial.
“We had a weak case against Mr. Bailey and a much stronger case against his co-defendant,” said Rachel Marshall, a spokesperson for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. “As a result, we could not justify seeking his continued detention after six months when we lacked sufficient evidence to prove the charge at trial.”
Officials said Bailey was also recently arrested on several parole violations out of Alameda County, including in December 2019 and February 2020.
Bailey has at least two earlier convictions out of Alameda County: one for first-degree residential burglary on Jan. 11, 2013, and another for second degree burglary on Sept. 20, 2012.
Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
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