Who are the San Jose Santana Row brawl suspects?
Mar 17, 2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- An attorney and two brothers are accused of "pummeling" two Israeli men at a restaurant on ritzy Santana Row in San Jose while stunned witnesses recorded the brawl with cellphone cameras.
One witness said, "As the three suspects ran off they yelled something like, 'Don't
f**k with Iran!" according to a police report.
The accused attorney was identified by prosecutors as Bruneil Henry Chamaki, 32, of Morgan Hill. State bar records show Chamaki is a practicing attorney with a Sacramento-based law firm. As of Tuesday, Chamaki's profile no longer appeared on the firm's website.
Video shot by a witness shows the Santana Row attack on March 8, 2026.
Prosecutors and witnesses identified the two other assailants as brothers who live in San Jose: Roma Akoyans, 20, and Ramon Akoyans, 18.
The victims said they were speaking Hebrew when three strangers attacked them at Augustine restaurant in front of several patrons on March 8. Cellphone videos show young men kicking and punching an older man who is on the ground.
A police report identifies this man as Roma Akoyans. (Photos via SJPD)
"We won’t tolerate pummeling a victim on the ground in front of a restaurant or anywhere, and we will hold the perpetrators fully accountable," said District Attorney Jeff Rosen.
Authorities said the trio of suspects turned themselves in to police Monday, and prosecutors filed felony assault charges.
A police report identifies this man as Ramon Akoyans. (Photos via SJPD)
San Jose police investigated the brawl as a possible hate crime. Witnesses at the scene said the assailants hurled antisemitic language at the victims, and the Israeli men were targeted because they were speaking Hebrew.
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Rosen, however, said no hate crime enhancements will be filed unless investigators find solid enough evidence to prove what motivated the violent attack.
Chamaki, Roma Akoyans, and Ramon Akoyans refused to talk to detectives, a San Jose Police Department report states.
A police report identifies this man as Bruneil Henry Chamaki. (Photos via SJPD)
Immediately after the brawl, the assailants ran away from the scene and their identities were unknown.
On March 10, several anonymous tips were made to SJPD from people who recognized Chamaki, Roma Akoyans, and Ramon Akoyans after viewing witnesses' videos. "Two tipsters told detectives that they knew Roma and Ramon from high school and stated they attended Leland High School with them," the police report states.
One witness told detectives that he saw the "street fight" and believed that the attackers were Persian. The witness, who is also Persian, said he heard one of the attackers speaking Farsi.
The police report includes Instagram profiles linked to the three suspects. A photograph posted on Chamaki's Instagram shows his arm tattoo featuring the scales of justice. Police said the tattoo matched a tattoo seen on surveillance video from the brawl.
Video shot by a witness shows the Santana Row attack on March 8, 2026.
Criminal defense attorney Michael Cardoza told KRON4 that the DA's office may also dig into Chamaki's and the Akoyans brothers' social media profiles, and other areas of their lives, looking for prior sentiments expressed against the Jewish community.
The District Attorney's Office wrote, "The charges reflect the gravity of a violent assault in public between strangers, and the dangerousness of hitting and kicking someone while they are down. These charges do not reflect allegations of a hate crime at this time. However, this remains an active investigation."
The trio will make their first court appearance on May 12 in the Hall of Justice in San Jose.
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