Hate Crime Reported Involving Vandalism, Racial Slurs

Police are investigating a hate crime incident that occurred Saturday afternoon, where an electrical utility box and a local restaurant were vandalized following racial slurs directed at people of Armenian descent, according to Pasadena Police Lieutenant Monica Cuellar.

The incident took place at approximately 3:34 p.m. on Saturday, May 17 in the 100 block of North Hill Avenue, Cuellar said.

Officers responded to a vandalism report and discovered damage to both an electrical utility box and the side of a restaurant, Cuellar said. The case was classified as a hate crime after investigators determined that a 38-year-old Hispanic man from Pasadena had directed racial slurs toward a group of Armenian individuals before the vandalism occurred.

“The investigation is ongoing,” Cuellar stated, noting that no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

The involved party sustained minor injuries, including a small abrasion on his forehead and nose, according to Cuellar. It remains unclear how these injuries were sustained or if medical treatment was provided.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Pasadena Police at (626) 744-4241 or report information anonymously by contacting “Crime Stoppers” at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) via your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile App on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org