A San Jose Police Department report describes surveillance video from a restaurant where two Israeli Americans were beaten on March 8, creating a more complete picture of the brutal incident.
Two witness videos that went viral on social media in the days after the attack show the beating already in progress, while the restaurant’s surveillance footage captures it from start to finish.
The 44-page police report chronicles the short but intense attack that began abruptly, with suspects pushing and repeatedly elbowing and punching the victims over the course of about 20 seconds.
This week, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced felony and misdemeanor charges against three men: Bruneil Henry Chamaki, 32, of Morgan Hill, Roma Akoyans, 20, and his brother Ramon Akoyans, 18, both of San Jose. All three turned themselves in to police on Monday.
A Jewish community leader in the South Bay told J. that he and others felt reassured after the arrests.
“I think there was a sigh of relief by many in our community that these violent perpetrators were taken off the street and arrested,” said Daniel Klein, CEO of Jewish Silicon Valley.
He said the two Israeli Americans are receiving legal support and resources from several Bay Area organizations. “I’ve been in touch continually with the victims,” Klein said. “And we’re working with them in partnership with StandWithUs and the Bay Area Jewish Coalition to ensure they have the legal representation they need.”
The police report includes statements from the victims, Lior Zeevi, 47, and Daniel Levy, 48, as well from two restaurant servers and an eyewitness, whom J. also interviewed.
Augustine, an upscale San Jose restaurant on Santana Row, provided its surveillance video to police, according to the SJPD report. J. has not viewed the new video described in the report, and Augustine did not respond to J.’s requests for a copy. The video has no sound.
“The video showed the victims walking up to the restaurant and appearing to request a table,” the SJPD report states. Levy, whose legal name is Dannyel Leviev, was facing the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, according to police, while his friend, Zeevi, had his back to the sidewalk.
Zeevi and Levy told J. and police that they were chatting loudly in Hebrew while waiting for a table when the beating began. They told police and J. they believed it was the reason they were assaulted. They told police that the attack was “unprovoked” and “without warning,” according to the report.
Police initially said they were investigating the incident as a hate crime. Prosecutors have not charged the three men with a hate crime but said the investigation is ongoing.
The incident began around 3:38 p.m., according to police.
In the video, Levy “appears to lock eyes” with three men approaching the restaurant, police state. “The suspects and [Levy] continued to look at each other and the suspects walked past [Levy and Zeevi],” according to the police report.
In interviews with police, Zeevi told officers that he heard someone say “f—ing Jews” but did not know who said it because he was turned away from the suspects. Zeevi told police he heard the comment as soon as the fight started, just after Levy asked the men, “Do I know you?”
Augustine’s video shows what happened before the beating began, when Levy and the three suspects “appear to say something to each other,” according to police. Then the younger Akoyans brother shoves Levy, according to the report. Zeevi “tries to interfere” but is pushed, too.
Chamaki then punches Zeevi, according to police, and at one point all three suspects are punching him. The younger Akoyans also is seen striking Levy, who stands up before Akoyans “punches him back to the ground and punches him one more time while he’s on the ground,” police state, describing the restaurant video.
After repeated quick punches, the three suspects run off.
When police arrived, the two victims told police they were suffering from head pain. Levy’s lip was also cut and bleeding. They were treated at a local hospital, received CT scans and were released.
Police said they used Santana Row parking garage footage to identify the car that the three suspects arrived in and to trace it to Chamaki. Police also searched Chamaki’s public Instagram profile, identifying photos of a tattoo on his arm that matches a tattoo seen in videos of the assault.
When police contacted Chamaki for a statement over the phone, he “immediately requested to consult with his attorney and disconnected the call,” according to SJPD’s report. The officer left messages for the Akoyans brothers requesting a callback but did not receive a reply, the report states.
Chamaki is an attorney, according to the State Bar of California, who graduated from the UC Berkeley School of Law and was admitted to the bar in 2023. His public file with the bar now alerts potential clients that he has been charged with a felony.
The men, who were released on bail, are each charged with felony assault, and Chamaki is also charged with misdemeanor battery, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Their arraignment is set for May 12.