Palo Alto man arrested for hate crime against Asians: police
(KRON) — A man was arrested Friday in Palo Alto for allegedly committing a hate crime against the Asian community, the Palo Alto Police Department (PAPD) announced in a news release. Around 7 a.m. on the 600 block of Ramona Street, a woman reported to an off-duty officer that she was being chased by a man. On-duty officers were notified but did not locate him.
Police later discovered the man yelled a racial epithet directed at Asian people, according to PAPD. Around 6:55 a.m., a woman in her 40s was walking through Civic Center Plaza. As she was heading towards the front entrance, the man rushed at her, 'aggressively blocked her path' and yelled the racial epithet.
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In fear, the woman ran away, but the man still followed, police said. He eventually stopped following her as she set foot on the street.
While officers were speaking to the victim, PAPD received a call regarding the same individual. According to police, the man was harassing customers in front of the Town and Country Shopping Center on Embardcadero Road.
The man, identified as 44-year-old Palo Alto resident Gavin Lamar, was eventually arrested and booked into Santa Clara County Jail for two misdemeanors of malicious obstruction and a hate crime.
PAPD says anyone with information is asked to call the department at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984.
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