Monday, Aug. 15
Man attacked by large group of teens in hate crime
A man was attacked by a group of 10 to 12 teenagers due to his sexual orientation Monday night, police said.
According to Travis Souza of the , the teenagers attempted to rob the man, hit him with sticks and shouted homosexual slurs. They told the victim that no one would help him because of his sexual orientation, Souza said.
The attack occurred at about 9:50 p.m. in the area of Alvarado-Niles Road and Royal Ann Drive near the Union City Library, not far from the police station, Souza said.
The victim did not suffer any serious physical injuries and waited a day before reporting the crime to police, Souza said.
Though hate crimes are uncommon in Union City, a domestic dispute of similar nature occurred Tuesday night, according to Souza. (See below for more details.)
Tuesday, Aug. 16
Home burglary on Queensboro Way
A home burglary on the 4200 block of Queensboro Way was thwarted Tuesday morning when a resident spotted three men inside his home.
According to Souza, three men entered the home through a rear sliding door at about 9:45 a.m. but fled when they were discovered inside the house.
The resident reported the crime an hour later, by which time the suspects had left the area, Souza said. The suspects were described as black males between the ages of 20 and 30, according to Souza.
Child fractures skull in bike accident
A 10-year-old boy is in stable condition after fracturing his skull in a bike accident early Tuesday evening.
The boy rode his bike into traffic in the area of in Skylark Drive and Canary Court at about 5 p.m. when he was hit by a car, Souza said.
The child was transported to a local hospital where he remained in stable condition Wednesday afternoon, according to Souza.
Father arrested after threatening to kill son in hate crime
A man was arrested on suspicion of making death threats to his teenage son Tuesday night, according to police.
Officers responded to a home in the area of Smith Street and Union City Boulevard at about 9 p.m. on a report of a domestic disturbance. Through the investigation, they learned that the father lashed out at his 17-year-old son and threatened to kill him after discovering the son had exchanged Internet messages with another male, Souza said.
According to Souza, the attack is considered a felony hate crime. Under California law, suspects convicted of such hate crimes hate crimes may be punished by up to a year in prison and a fine of $5,000.
