Alleged Roadway Attack Referred to DA as Hate Crime

A San Mateo man could face hate crime charges for what authorities say was a racially motivated roadway attack.

The suspect, who is in his early 20's, was taken into custody for an unrelated probation or parole violation, Foster City police Capt. Jon Froomin said.

Foster City police interviewed the suspect earlier this month before referring the case to the District Attorney's office as a hate crime.

Police have not identified the man publicly because their agency has not arrested the man, Froomin said.

The suspect yelled racial slurs and threw quarters at a family of four in another vehicle with two children that was either or in front or behind the car he was a passenger in, police said. The incident occurred on April 26 at about 10:15 a.m. at the intersection of Triton and Pilgrim Drives. 

The suspect shouted "something about going back to their own country or something similar to that," Froomin said.

The suspect is a Caucasian and the alleged victims of Asian descent, police said.

No injuries were reported.

Froomin said they don't know whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the alleged attack because they didn't interview the suspect until days later.

The case was referred to the District Attorney for a code violation for allegedly throwing objects at another vehicle, the threat of violence based on civil rights issue, and cruelty to a child because there were children in the car, Froomin said.

"Any time somebody is verbally abusive to somebody like that based on ethnicity it is particularly difficult to accept," Froomin said. "That was one of the reasons we made a larger issue of this than a 'normal'  (incident) with somebody yelling at somebody."

For more news about Foster City and surrounding areas,  and "like" us on Facebook. Sign up for our daily newsletter here.

Want to blog for us? Click here.