'He was like saying racial slurs': Man faces multiple charges after rampage through Korean-owned business in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A man is facing multiple charges after surveillance video shows him trashing a Korean-owned convenience store on Tuesday afternoon in Charlotte, ABC-affiliate WSOC reports.

The incident happened at a shopping center inside the Charlotte Transportation Center.

The owners of the business are Korean and have owned the shop for about 20 years. Their son, Mark Sung, told WSOC they believe the rampage was targeted because they are Asian.

Surveillance footage shows 24-year-old Xavier Woody Silas walk into the store and pull down a rack of merchandise. He then takes a metal bar and slams it into merchandise around the store.

The owners and customers were inside at the time of the rampage, but no one was injured.

During the attack, Sung said Silas was screaming racial slurs. He believes Silas was hired by a man his family banned from the store hired the man to trash the store in an act of revenge.

"As he was doing it, he was like saying racial slurs, cursing at us, threatening us. And the guy that we banned ended up coming into the store cheering him on and screaming, 'That's what you get! That's what you get! Go back to your country!'" Sung said.

Sung told WSOC that this isn't the first time his family's store was vandalized.

"We average about one of these incidents a year," he said. "This year just came a little early, I guess."

Sung and his parents have since reopened the shop but has no hope that the hate towards the Asian community will go away any time soon.

"This whole racism thing isn't just going to go away," he said. "It's been around for centuries."

Silas is facing several charges including damage to personal property, communicating threats and disorderly conduct. Officials said they are also pursuing a potential charge of Misdemeanor Ethnic Intimidation under North Carolina's hate crimes statute at least partially based on alleged statements made to the store clerk.

The family has since started a GoFundMe to help raise funds to fix the store's damages. As of Saturday afternoon, the family has raised more than $32,000.