Deputies in Cupertino, California arrested a man accused of attacking an employee at a T-Mobile store and screaming racial slurs.
Patch reports Clifford Stewart faces charges of force likely to produce great bodily injury, hate crimes, vandalism, and threat against a police officer.
According to KTVU, a judge ordered him held without bail after he refused to allow deputies to transport him to his hearing on Friday.
Stewart allegedly removed a sign from the front of the phone store. Employees told NBC Bay Area he began yelling racial epithets at a Latina employee and her Asian male co-worker when they ran outside to retrieve the sign.
“Hate crimes send an ugly and ignorant message to our community that certain people are not welcome here,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “My response is that I will do everything in my power to hold criminal racists accountable in court. Hate is not welcome here.”
Prosecutors said to KTVU that Stewart yelled “(expletive) Chinese, you don’t belong here,” and “stupid Mexicans.”
“Then he attacked the Hispanic woman, kicked her in the stomach, punched her in the face. She temporarily lost her vision. She was taken to the hospital,” Rosen said.
Deputies tracked him down to a nearby sports store and made the arrest.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story, or making a financial contribution.
