Man charged with hate crime for attacking Netflix chef

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A man who allegedly attacked a reality TV star in downtown San Francisco after hurling racial slurs at her has been charged with a hate crime, according to the San Francisco District Attorney. The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Irving Rivera-Lara of San Francisco, was arrested in connection with a Sunday night attack on Wendy Drew, who appeared on the Netflix series “You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.”

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According to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, officers responded to the area between California and Drumm Streets at around 9:32 p.m. on Sunday on a report of a robbery. Officers arrived at the scene and found the victim, an adult female, who KRON4 confirmed was Drew.

She told officers she was standing outside a store when a man made a derogatory remark about her. After a verbal argument, the suspect began attacking the victim, prosecutors said.

“Hate crimes have no place in our community and must be swiftly addressed by the criminal justice system,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “Attacks like this one degrade and humiliate individuals while shaking entire communities. I will do everything in my power to ensure accountability and justice is served in this case.”

The suspect, Rivera-Lane, was taken into custody. The prosecutor is demanding pretrial detention because he poses a threat to public safety, the prosecutor said.

According to the public prosecutor’s office, the investigation is still ongoing.

The attack on Drew is the latest in a series of possible hate crimes in San Francisco. Last week, racist graffiti and a noose were found at a community center in Lakeview.

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