Baltimore man sentenced to life in prison for brutal attacks on Asian business owners

A man who brutally attacked Korean-American sisters at a liquor store in Baltimore has been sentenced to life in prison, nearly three years after garnering national attention as one of the most prominent cases of Asian hate crimes in the United States.

Darryl Doles, 53, received a life sentence with all time suspended but 30 years for attacking a liquor shop owner surnamed Yoon and her sister with a cement brick at the Wonder Land Liquors & Bar in Baltimore on May 2, 2021, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office announced on February 7. Doles pleaded guilty last September to two counts of attempted first-degree murder, a hate crime, and second-degree assault.

Doles allegedly grabbed Yoon by her hair as she was closing up shop, dragged her, hit her repeatedly with a brick, and struck her again in the head as she fell to the ground. The victim suffered a laceration to her head and was treated at a hospital.

According to officials, Doles allegedly attacked people at two other Asian-operated liquor stores earlier that same day.

On the day of his sentencing hearing, Doles tearfully apologized in court, according to the local news outlet, the Baltimore Banner. Doles said he had suffered from a substance abuse disorder since he was 17, adding, “I accept responsibility for what I did. But that’s not me.”

Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Jeannie J. Hong played a video footage that recorded the incident in court, saying it was horrific.

“They are lucky that they are still alive,” Hong said. “We could have been here for a murder conviction,” she said, noting that “He blamed and attacked innocent people.”

BY HOONSIK WOO    [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]

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