Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Conversations around race and racial justice
Nancy Yang
Minneapolis

Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee says she was pepper-sprayed in racist attack

A woman poses for a photo at the Met Gala.
Suni Lee attends the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 13 in New York City.
Mike Coppola | Getty Images

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee said she was pepper-sprayed on the arm during a racist attack while out with friends in Los Angeles.

Speaking to PopSugar, the St. Paul gymnast said that she was waiting for an Uber with her friends, all of Asian descent, when a group sped by in a car yelling racial slurs. One person in the car pepper-sprayed her on the arm, she said.

"I was so mad, but there was nothing I could do or control because they skirted off," she told PopSugar. "I didn't do anything to them, and having the reputation, it's so hard because I didn't want to do anything that could get me into trouble. I just let it happen.”

Lee is currently in Los Angeles competing in the latest season of "Dancing with the Stars." She told CNN the incident happened in October.

Reports of an anti-Asian incidents — from taunts to outright assaults — have skyrocketed in the United States.

Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that became the authority on gathering data on racially motivated attacks related to the pandemic, received 9,081 incident reports between March 19, 2020, and this June. Of those, 4,548 occurred last year, and 4,533 this year. Since the coronavirus was first reported in China, people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent have been treated as scapegoats solely based on their race.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.