On March 8, 2026, a brazen act of antisemitic violence shattered the upscale calm of Santana Row, one of San Jose, California's most prominent dining and shopping destinations. Two Israeli-American men were waiting outside Augustine restaurant for a table when three strangers approached them, hurled antisemitic slurs, and launched a savage physical assault — all because the victims were speaking Hebrew. The attack, captured on surveillance video, led to the arrest of Bruneil Henry Chamaki, 32, of Morgan Hill, and brothers Roma Akoyans and Ramon Akoyans, all of whom surrendered to police after arrest warrants were obtained. The incident has drawn national attention as a chilling reminder that antisemitic hatred is not confined to online spaces or fringe communities — it erupts in broad daylight, in America's most public and prosperous spaces.
What Happened Outside Augustine Restaurant
According to court documents and statements from the San Jose Police Department, the two victims — Israeli-American men — were standing outside Augustine restaurant at Santana Row on a Sunday afternoon, waiting to be seated and conversing in Hebrew. Three men, later identified as Chamaki and the Akoyans brothers, approached them and began staring in a manner that one victim described as "very weird." When the victim asked whether the men knew them, the confrontation rapidly escalated.
One of the suspects allegedly shouted "F--- Jews" before all three began throwing punches, according to KTVU. The violence was swift and brutal: one victim was knocked unconscious for several seconds, while the other sustained injuries as onlookers watched in horror. Video footage showed a suspect repeatedly striking a victim already lying on the ground, while another suspect restrained the victim by gripping his foot. Bystanders can be heard in the background yelling "Knock it off! Stop!" before the attackers fled the scene on foot, well before police arrived.
Both victims were evaluated on-site by medical personnel. San Jose police launched an immediate investigation, drawing on surveillance footage, social media analysis, and tips from the public to identify the three suspects. Arrest warrants were subsequently obtained, and all three men turned themselves in without incident.
Who Are the Accused?
The profile of the accused in this case underscores a critical reality about antisemitic violence: it is not perpetrated solely by marginalized extremists. Bruneil Henry Chamaki, 32, is a licensed California attorney who had previously been employed at the respected Sacramento-based law firm Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP. The firm confirmed that Chamaki had not been affiliated with them since the end of January 2026, and issued a statement saying it was "shocked and disturbed" to learn of the violent incident. "Murphy Austin condemns antisemitism, violence, and acts of hatred in any form," the firm's spokesperson stated.
Roma Akoyans is listed in court records as a student at West Valley College in the San Jose area. The brothers and Chamaki all face a mix of felony and misdemeanor assault and battery charges. They are due in court for arraignment on May 12, 2026. Prosecutors at the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office confirmed they are not filing hate crime enhancements at this stage, though they emphasized the investigation remains active and the possibility has not been ruled out.
Key Facts Documented in the Case
- The attack occurred on March 8, 2026, at Augustine restaurant, Santana Row, San Jose — a high-profile commercial district — targeting two Israeli-American victims who were speaking Hebrew while waiting for a table.
- One suspect was recorded on surveillance video shouting "F--- Jews" immediately before the physical assault began, establishing a direct antisemitic motive according to police and prosecutors.
- Bruneil Henry Chamaki, one of the three charged, is a licensed California attorney; Roma Akoyans is a college student — illustrating that antisemitic perpetrators span professional and educational backgrounds.
- Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen publicly condemned the attack, stating: "We won't tolerate pummeling a victim on the ground in front of a restaurant or anywhere. Our public spaces have to be safe for all to enjoy without fear."
- All three suspects turned themselves in following arrest warrants, and are scheduled for arraignment on May 12, 2026, on felony and misdemeanor assault and battery charges.
Analysis: Antisemitism in Mainstream American Spaces
The Santana Row attack is not an isolated aberration — it is part of a measurable and accelerating trend. According to the Anti-Defamation League's annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, the United States has seen record-breaking levels of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and assault in consecutive years following October 7, 2023. What makes the San Jose incident particularly alarming is its location and trigger: a wealthy, mainstream shopping district, in the middle of the afternoon, with the victims targeted explicitly because of the language they were speaking. This is the linguistic profiling of Jewish identity — a form of hatred that requires no prior relationship, no political argument, no pretext beyond the sound of Hebrew.
The involvement of a practicing attorney among the accused further dismantles the comforting myth that antisemitic violence is the exclusive province of uneducated or economically marginalized actors. Educated professionals, too, can harbor and act upon violent hatred of Jews. This reality demands that institutions — law firms, universities, corporations — take seriously their role in cultivating environments that do not tolerate antisemitic ideation. The decision by prosecutors not to immediately file hate crime enhancements has drawn scrutiny from Jewish advocacy groups who argue that the shouted slur and the clear targeting based on Hebrew-language identity constitute precisely the kind of evidence that hate crime statutes were designed to prosecute. The Combat Antisemitism Movement, which first widely publicized the arrests, has called for the full application of California's hate crime laws.
Significance: A Warning Sign for Jewish Safety in America
The assault at Santana Row carries significance that extends well beyond the borders of Santa Clara County. It represents a pattern that Jewish communities across the United States have been warning about since the post-October 7 surge in antisemitic incidents: the normalization of violent hostility toward visibly or audibly Jewish individuals in everyday American life. Speaking Hebrew — the living language of the Jewish people and the official language of the State of Israel — should carry no risk on American soil. That it apparently provoked a violent assault in a prosperous California shopping district is a stark indictment of the social environment that has been cultivated in recent years.
The willingness of the perpetrators to act so openly, in a crowded public space with surveillance cameras, suggests a degree of social emboldening that must be taken seriously by law enforcement and community leaders alike. San Jose police have pledged accountability, stating: "Those responsible for this violent crime will be held accountable." But accountability in individual cases, while necessary, is insufficient. What is required is a sustained, unambiguous institutional and cultural response that makes clear that Jewish Americans — whether Israeli-born or not, whether speaking Hebrew or English — have the absolute right to exist freely and safely in every American public space. The U.S. Department of Justice's hate crime enforcement framework exists precisely for moments like this, and its full application must be demanded.
The Santana Row attack is a warning. If a licensed attorney and his associates can assault two men in broad daylight at an upscale restaurant for speaking Hebrew, and face only misdemeanor charges in the initial filing, then the signal sent to would-be perpetrators of antisemitic violence is deeply troubling. The Jewish community, law enforcement agencies, and civil society must respond with clarity, determination, and zero tolerance — because silence and half-measures have never been an adequate answer to hatred.