Man Vandalizes Church In Marin County, Charged With Hate Crime: Police

MILL VALLEY, CA — Officers arrested a Newark man after he broke into a Mill Valley church, causing significant damage to religious items, police said.

The incident unfolded around 11:20 p.m Tuesday night, when officers said they were first called to the area of Oakdale Avenue and W. Blithedale Avenue for a noise disturbance.

When police arrived, they said they found an unoccupied car parked in the roadway with its engine running and loud music playing. After checking the surrounding area and finding no driver, officers checked the nearby church property. While the building appeared secure from the outside, police called a church representative for assistance.

The representative reported finding a man inside the church and immediately noticed damage to the building's interior. Officers quickly located the man and identified him as 29-year-old Suhail Khojah Siddiqi of Newark.

Police said that Siddiqi had unlawfully entered the church and caused extensive damage to various religious items.

Siddiqi was arrested and booked into the Marin County Jail, police said. He faces multiple charges, including burglary, vandalism of a place of worship, and commission of a hate crime.

The investigation is still active, and no further information is being released at this time.