California man faces hate crime charge after throwing rocks at Asian woman while she was in the car with son

• A man faces four felony charges, including a hate crime, after throwing rocks at an AAPI woman's car.
• Roger Janke, 28, is accused of throwing rocks that damaged her bumper and cracked her windshield.
• He has pleaded not guilty. He faces up to six years in prison if found guilty.

A California man faces four felony charges, including a felony hate crime enhancement, after he threw rocks at an Asian woman in her car while she was with her 6-year-old son, authorities announced Monday.

On March 31, Roger Janke, 28, of Fullerton, California, is accused of throwing rocks at the car of a 38-year-old Asian woman while she was driving past, damaging her bumper and cracking her windshield, according to a statement from the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

The woman then drove to a nearby park and called 911.

The incident follows a surge in anti-Asian discrimination in the US, especially in California. A woman was charged with an "anti-Asian hate crime" after she was accused of spitting on an Asian American man, and an elderly Asian-American man died following an assault and robbery in Oakland last month.

Janke was charged with one felony count of violation of civil rights, one felony count of vandalism, one misdemeanor count of throwing a substance at a vehicle, and one felony hate crime enhancement. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He has pleaded not guilty.

He could face up to six years in prison and six months in the Orange County Jail, according to the statement.

"I refuse to tolerate hate in Orange County," Orange County DA Todd Spitzer said in a statement. "A woman and her child should be able to drive down the street without worrying about being attacked because of the color of their skin."

"Our commitment to continuing to prosecute hate crimes to the fullest extent of the law is sending a strong message to all the haters out there - there is no room for hate here - or anywhere," Spitzer added.