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4 Arrested in Attack on Filipino

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From Times Staff Reports

In what police called a hate crime, four members of a Ventura white supremacist gang were arrested on suspicion of beating a Filipino man and punching and robbing a white co-worker early Wednesday, authorities said.

James Smiley, 24; Michael Keaser, 23, and Joshua Brunkhurst, 18, all of Ventura, and Christopher Wallace, 18, of Oxnard, were jailed on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and committing a hate crime.

They remained in custody Wednesday night in lieu of bails ranging from $50,000 to $100,000. Arraignments were scheduled Friday.

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The Filipino victim was sitting with three white co-workers in the 500 block of West Channel Islands Boulevard about 12:30 a.m. when he was attacked, said Port Hueneme Police Sgt. Ken Dobbe. The attackers yelled racial epithets, Dobbe said.

One co-worker was punched in the face and her cell phone stolen. The victims were treated at the scene for cuts and bruises.

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