Skateboarder asks man if he’s Jewish before beating him in hate crime, CA officials say
A skateboarder is accused of beating a man with his skateboard after asking him if he was Jewish, California prosecutors said.
Authorities are treating the assault as a hate crime, according a Dec. 22 news release from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office..
Eduardo Navarro Perez approached the man on Haight Street in San Francisco and asked if he was Jewish or Black, according to the news release.
When the man said he was Jewish, Navarro Perez beat the man with a skateboard, the district attorney’s office said. During the attack “Navarro Perez made disparaging remarks towards Jewish people,” according to the victim.
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, who represents Navarro Perez, did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Dec. 22.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Navarro Perez has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and committing a hate crime.
“There is no place for antisemitism, or any crimes motivated by hate in San Francisco, in our state or anywhere else,” Jenkins said in the release. “We will do everything in our power to hold Navarro Perez accountable and ensure there are consequences for this attack.”
Prosecutors said they filed “hate crime enhancements,” as evidence showed the attack was “motivated by animus towards Jewish people.”
Navarro Perez was arrested on Dec. 17 and remains in custody, the district attorney’s office said.
“Prosecutors sought pre-trial detention in this case because of the public safety risk he poses,” the release said.
Navarro Perez could face up to seven years in prison if he’s convicted, the DA’s office said.
This story was originally published December 22, 2022 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Skateboarder asks man if he’s Jewish before beating him in hate crime, CA officials say."
