Man summoned for hate crime and assault in Palo Alto

PALO ALTO – A 63-year-old East Palo Alto man was charged with a hate crime and assault in a shooting in downtown Palo Alto over the weekend, authorities said.

Officers were first called to the Palo Alto Transit Center at 95 University Ave. around 2:10 p.m. Sunday for a report of a fight between two men, Palo Alto police said in a news release. When they arrived, the men were still in the area.

According to police, the investigation revealed that a Latino man in his 20s was sitting on a bench at the bus stop when he heard the suspect “yelling derogatory things about people from Mexico.”

When the man stood up and told the suspect to stop yelling or get away from him, the suspect punched him in the face, police said.

The victim told officers he took a closed pocket knife out of his pocket and held it in his hand to scare the suspect away. However, the suspect challenged the victim to a fight and punched him in the face a second time, police said.

According to police, the victim dropped the pocket knife and hit the suspect in the face.

The perpetrator hit the victim in the face a third time, according to the police. Both men fell to the ground and the victim was able to escape.

The victim suffered minor injuries but refused medical attention at the scene, police said.

During the investigation, a man in his 70s told police that the suspect had recently asked him for a cigarette. When he refused, the suspect knocked a cigarette out of his hand, according to police.

According to police, the suspect then turned his attention to the other man.

Officers charged the suspect with two counts of assault – one for each victim – and a hate crime.

Anyone with information about the case can contact police at 650-329-2413; those wishing to remain anonymous can call 650-383-8984, text or email [email protected].

Man summoned for hate crime and assault in Palo Alto

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Man summoned for hate crime and assault in Palo Alto

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