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 boys were still in the realm.
According to police, the investigation revealed that a Latino man in his 20s was sitting on a bench on the bus stop when he heard the suspect “yelling derogatory things about people from Mexico.”
When the person stood up and told the suspect to stop yelling or get away from him, the suspect punched him within 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 within the face a second time, police said.
According to police, the victim dropped the pocket knife and hit the suspect within the face.
The perpetrator hit the victim within the face a 3rd time, in line with the police. Both men fell to the bottom and the victim was capable of escape.
The victim suffered minor injuries but refused medical attention on the scene, police said.
During the investigation, a person 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, in line with police.
According to police, the suspect then turned his attention to the opposite man.
Officers charged the suspect with two counts of assault – one for every victim – and a hate crime.
Anyone with information in regards to the case can contact police at 650-329-2413; those wishing to stay anonymous can call 650-383-8984, text or email paloalto@tipnow.org.
image credit : www.mercurynews.com