Contra Costa DA charges Colorado man in Christmastime hate crime

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged a 40-year-old Colorado man Thursday in connection with separate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day incidents that led to his arrest, authorities said.

As captured in a TikTok video, Jordan Krah approached a man and woman eating inside a San Ramon fast-food restaurant last Saturday and made racist and homophobic remarks before threatening to spit on them and to harm them if they left the premises. Restaurant workers had to close the restaurant briefly to escort the two outside afterward to ensure their safety.

In a statement Thursday, the District Attorney’s office said surveillance-camera footage aided San Ramon police in identifying and arresting Krah. After his arrest, investigators presented case information to District Attorney Diana Becton, whose hate-crimes committee reviewed evidence and weighed case-law considerations before deciding to file charges against Krah.

“A threat to one ethnic community is a threat to all communities,” Becton said in a statement issued Thursday. “There is no place for hate crime in Contra Costa County. I commend the San Ramon Police Department for their response to this incident along with the joint efforts of law enforcement locally and in Colorado.”

In a separate incident last Sunday on Christmas Day, Krah apparently approached a woman outside a Danville supermarket and called her and her family names before allegedly spitting on her, leading prosecutors to charge him separately with battery.

A jury conviction in both cases could mean Krah, who has since bailed out of custody and does not currently face arraignment, would face up to 18 months in county jail.

Investigators have since learned that Krah faces prosecution in connection with an unrelated Denver vehicular-assault case, and that authorities there plan to seek his extradition.

Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.