Palo Alto Stabbing Investigated As Hate Crime

Police this morning are investigating a Wednesday stabbing in Palo Alto as a possible hate crime.

Around 7:45 p.m., a the victim, identified as a Hispanic teen, was walking through a downtown parking garage at 445 Bryant St. when he was accosted by a group of men who were making racial comments, police said. The victim, identified as a Hispanic teen, was walking to his vehicle when three men approached and made disparaging remarks about his ethnicity.

There was a brief verbal exchange between the victim and the men, and the victim continued to walk to his vehicle when one of the men attacked him from behind, police said. During the struggle, a second suspect stabbed the victim in the thigh with a screwdriver. The three suspects then fled the area on foot, and the victim drove himself to the hospital.

The victim was treated at the hospital for a moderate stab wound and was later released. The victim described the suspect who stabbed him as a white man in his mid-twenties, with a beard and a thin build.

The second suspect was described as clean-shaven white man in his mid-20s wearing a black T-shirt and peach shorts. The third suspect was described as a clean-shaven white man in his mid-20s wearing a Stanford cap.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Palo Alto police at (650) 329-2413.

--Bay City News