White transient charged with hate crime for attacking a Latina in H.B.

Contact: Lt. Russ Reinhart, Public Information Officer, Huntington Beach Police Department, 714-536-5976
Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff, Orange County District Attorney, 714-347-8408, 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami, Spokesperson, Orange County District Attorney, 714-347-8405, 714-323-4486

Huntington Beach Police Department & Orange County District Attorney Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 6, 2011

CAUCASIAN TRANSIENT CHARGED WITH HATE CRIME FOR YELLING RACIAL SLURS AND SPITTING ON HISPANIC WOMAN BEFORE TRYING TO RUN HER OVER WITH BIKE

WESTMINSTER – A transient Caucasian man has been charged with a hate crime battery and assault for yelling racial slurs at a Hispanic woman, spitting on her, and trying to run her over with his bicycle. Jonathan Michael Schmidt, 31, transient, is charged with two felony counts of hate crime battery and one felony count of hate crime assault.Schmidt has a prior prison conviction for false imprisonment in 2003. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years and four months in state prison. The People will be requesting Schmidt be held on $50,000 bail at his arraignment this afternoon, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011, at the West Justice Center in Westminster. The time and Department are to be determined.

At approximately 1:40 p.m. on Oct. 4, 2011, 36-year-old Jane Doe and her sister were stopped at a stop sign in Huntington Beach near Main Street in a car driven by Jane Doe on their way to a chocolate shop. The victim and her sister are Hispanic.

Schmidt is accused of riding on his bicycle and approaching the open driver’s side window of the victim’s stopped vehicle. The defendant and the victim do not know each other. Schmidt is accused of yelling racial slurs and profanity at the victim including, “F****** Mexican, go back to Mexico.” Without provocation, he is accused of then spitting in Jane Doe’s face through the open window.

Jane Doe drove away and reached her destination a short distance later. She parked her car and the victim and her sister got out. While outside of the vehicle, Schmidt is accused of again riding up to Jane Doe and yelling more racial slurs and profanity before spitting on the victim’s back. Schmidt is accused of riding away and returning moments later. He is accused of riding his bicycle directly at Jane Doe, forcing her to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.

The Huntington Beach Police Department, who investigated this case, responded and arrested Schmidt at the scene. Senior Deputy District Attorney John Christl of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.

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