A man accused of attacking another customer at a restaurant in Ontario called the victim an “f—ing Mexican,” the victim told KTLA, in an incident local police are investigating as a potential hate crime.
Surveillance video shows the victim’s body slam to the ground after another man walks directly into him and then stands over him as he tries getting up. The victim, 44-year-old Jose, had come into the Waba Grill off of Mountain Avenue around 1 p.m. during his lunch break on Wednesday.
After he fell, Jose said the stranger then cursed at him and turned more violent.
“He said, ‘Watch out, you f—ing Mexican.'”
The attacker, who appears to be Caucasian, then punched Jose in the throat, he told KTLA. Jose said the random attack came just moments after he had ordered his food in Spanish.
The assailant has still not been tracked down by local police who are investigating the incident and confirmed to KTLA that the possibility of a hate crime is under investigation.
“It’s obviously a concern when anytime you have somebody who attacks somebody unprovoked,” Ontario Police Sgt. Bill Russell said.
Russell said police are still investigating a possible motive behind the crime.
