PORTLAND, Ore. — Editor's note: Images of the man's injuries in the video above may be difficult for some people to see.
Xinmin Liang headed to his usual spot on the Eastbank Esplanade Tuesday morning to go fishing on the Willamette River. He went out by himself with a net to see if the fish had come out yet for the spring.
His daughter, Jie Liang, said a white man with a blue beanie came up to her dad, and "without saying a word, started using a thick, fat wood stick and started pounding on him." She said her dad used his arms to protect his head, but the attacker kept hitting him.
Xinmin Liang had two broken bones in his left arm. His face was also left bruised and swollen as a result of the assault.
"When I first saw him, there was blood all over his face," Jie Liang said.
Xinmin Liang doesn't speak English and didn't think he could call 911 on his own to get first responders to the site of the attack. He took a MAX train back to his apartment in downtown Portland, where he got help calling for an ambulance. Around 11 a.m., police arrived to write up a report.
"My dad does wonder if this was racial, racism involved in this attack," Jie Liang said. "He can't help but wonder."
Officers said the case is not currently being investigated as a bias crime, although a spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau said that could change as the investigation unfolds.
The family is still processing what happened, and they're warning others.
"All of the Asian community, especially the ones with senior parents that are in town, just be careful," Jie Liang said. "Don't go to places (where there's) nobody around and alone because right now, Portland doesn't really feel safe."
Xinmin Liang will need to undergo surgery to repair his left arm. That procedure is scheduled for the beginning of next week.
"My dad wanted to say to this (suspect): 'Do not commit more crimes like this to innocent people because it creates a lot of insecurity in the community,'" Jie Liang said.