Folsom Police investigating alleged assault

Folsom Police are investigating an alleged assault that reportedly left a Folsom visitor with serious injuries and a long road to recovery last weekend. Romey Kang, of Lincoln, launched his own GoFundMe page earlier this week, after he reported that he was attacked and beaten in Folsom's Historic District. "I was assaulted and almost died," Kang posted on his fundraising page and shared to social media from his hospital bed. "2-3 caucasian males in white shirts left me for dead and someone found me a few hours later on a sidewalk in downtown Folsom. I am 99% sure it was a hate attack in these dark times. They didn't even take my wallet, any credit cars, phone or car. Just me." Kang shared that he has been hospitalized since the time of the attack. He has reportedly had one surgery so far on his face, with an additional surgery expected. "My cheekbones are broken, they have plates behind them now, my hard palate and upper teeth were separated from the rest of my skull," Kang stated on the page where he shared a graphic photo and has already generated more than $14,000 in donations as of Wednesday. "Most of my lower teeth are broken or missing. My lower lip was hanging off my chin. I looked like a Halloween mask. The doctors said it's a miracle I didn't have a brain injury." After originally being notified by a former schoolmate of Kang's and another Folsom resident of Kang's fundraiser page and allegations, the Folsom Telegraph looked into the incident and obtained details and a statement from the Folsom Police Department regarding the investigation that is still ongoing. Investigators are looking for additional witnesses that may have seen something near the time of the incident. Folsom Police Detective Melanie Catanio confirmed that officers responded to a 9-1-1 call from the victim at approximately 1:18 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9. "Romey called 9-1-1 and reported that he was attacked during a robbery. Officers located him in the area of Scott and Canal Streets," stated Catanio. "There were no witnesses or bystanders present upon arrival of the officers. Romey had been drinking alcohol and said he thought someone struck him in the head from behind as he was walking, but didn't remember anything else about how he was injured. According to Cantanio's report, at the time of the call, Kang described his attacker as a "white male adult with dark hair and wearing light colored clothing." Catanio said at the time of the incident, Kang did not mention more than one suspect. Officers investigating the incident contacted several area businesses in the area in hopes of obtaining surveillance footage of the area that would help identify the suspect(s). Thus far, footage hasn't produced any indication of what occurred. "Several people who saw Romey prior to the 9-1-1 call were contacted and interviewed, but didn't have additional information to provide, didn't witness an attack and didn't see anyone suspicious following Romey," said Catanio. "At this time, there is no evidence of this being a hate crime or a robbery. The circumstances surrounding Romey's injuries are unknown at this time." Anyone who might have witnessed the incident or has further information that could be of assistance in the investigation is asked to contact the Folsom Police Department at 916-355-7231. On Monday afternoon, Kang posted in the comments section on his fundraising page, thanking those who have reached out to him. He also updated the public on his recovery process that includes further surgery this week and at a later date. "I was just informed by my doctor that I'm going to need another surgery in the next couple of days. My nose was too broken to put plates into, so my jaw isn't aligning well at all," he stated. "He's going to wire my jaw shut for 4 weeks. After a month, I'll need another surgery to get the wires removed. I understand there's not a whole lot anyone can do to catch the people that did this to me, I truly appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers in this time." The Folsom Telegraph will continue to follow this investigation and provide updates as more details become available.