Security Guard Assaulted in Suspected Hate Crime at Pasadena Apartment Complex

A man punched a security guard twice in the face, put him in a chokehold and told him to “go back to your country” Thursday afternoon at a Pasadena apartment complex, an attack police have classified as a hate crime, according to Pasadena Police Department Lt. Thomas Blanchard.

The guard, a 49-year-old Covina man, was escorting two transients out of the complex’s parking structure in the 200 block of South Raymond Avenue after they were found trespassing when the attack happened at about 2:34 p.m., Blanchard said.

One of the two became verbally abusive and punched the guard twice in the face, Blanchard said. The guard was dazed and fell to the ground, and the suspect then put him in a rear chokehold until the second transient separated them, according to Blanchard.

The suspect’s remark, “Go back to your country,” is the basis for the hate crime classification, Blanchard said.

The guard suffered redness to his cheek and forehead and complained of pain to the back of his neck, Blanchard said. Blanchard did not have information on whether the guard received medical treatment.

The suspect is described as a white man in his 40s wearing a black T-shirt with a blue line flag and black-and-yellow Nike shoes, Blanchard said. No further description was available.

The suspect and the second transient walked away, and the suspect was last seen on a southbound train headed toward South Pasadena, according to Blanchard.
Blanchard did not report an arrest and had no information on surveillance video.
Anyone with information is asked to call Pasadena Police at (626) 744-4241. Anonymous tips can be made through Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or at http://lacrimestoppers.org.