Shoreline woman charged with hate crime, accused of threatening Asian-American neighbor

The woman was charged with a hate crime after threatening her Asian-American neighbor, yelling threats at her for years according to court documents.

SEATTLE - A suburban Seattle woman accused of threatening her Vietnamese American neighbor has been arrested and charged with a hate crime, prosecutors said.

The neighbor of Jan Myers in Shoreline said Myers, 72, had acted erratically and yelled racial slurs at her for years, The Seattle Times reported.

On April 5, "these anti-Asian racial slurs escalated to threatening behavior," prosecutors said.

Myers that day referred to the neighbor as "slant eye," and yelled "Hey Miss Vietnam … You’re not going to live very long," according to the charges.

Police said the neighbor recorded video that documented the confrontation.

Myers had complained previously that the neighbors’ cat had defecated on her lawn, police said. In an interview with deputies, she denied making threats or calling the neighbor "Miss Vietnam." Police said the statements "were inconsistent with what the video showed."

Myers was released on her own recognizance after an initial court hearing. She is scheduled to attend an arraignment April 22.

Court records do not show which attorney is representing Myers. Myers’ race wasn’t immediately known.

The allegations are the latest in a national spike in anti-Asian hate crimes.

This was the 11th hate-crime case filed by King County prosecutors this year, with four involving victims identified as Asian American and/or Pacific Islanders, prosecutors said.