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Police searching for driver suspected in Pacific Beach hate crime

pacific beach hate crime vehicle 04012021.png
Posted at 3:24 PM, Apr 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-01 18:24:50-04

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Police are searching for the driver who yelled a racial slur at three people and threw a bottle at them in Pacific Beach in February.

San Diego Police say just before 1 p.m. on Feb. 28, three adults were assaulted while dining in front of the Coconut Girl Kitchen on Mission Boulevard. While they were eating, a man in a dark-colored sedan pulled alongside their table, rolled down the passenger-side window, and yelled a racial slur at the three, and threw a glass bottle at them, police said.

No one was hit by the bottle, police added. Two of the diners told police they believe they were targeted because they are black.

The suspect is described as either tan, white man or light-skinned Hispanic man in his late 40s or early 50s. The suspect had tattoos covering his neck and face. He also appeared to be 5'9" to 6'0" tall, weighing 250 to 260 pounds.

Video surveillance captured the suspect's vehicle, described as a 2000’s model black Volkswagen with front-end damage and missing the center grill. The vehicle also had a green parking permit hanging from the rearview mirror.

SDPD is investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call SDPD at 858-525-1700.