Lisa Madden, 50, of Palo Alto was arrested for allegedly spitting on a man and hurling a racial epithet.
PALO ALTO, Calif. - A Palo Alto woman faces hate crime and battery charges after allegedly spitting on a man and yelling racial epithets, police said.
Alleged racial attack
What we know:
The incident occurred Saturday around 6 p.m. at Lytton Plaza on University Avenue, where police responded to a report of a fight.
At the scene, officers found a man in his 60s who had been attacked.
Authorities said the victim was sitting in the plaza when he was approached by a woman who, without provocation, spit on him while shouting a racial epithet directed at Black people.
The man left the plaza as the suspect continued yelling.
Officers located the suspect, 50-year-old Lisa Madden, and arrested her on charges of battery and a hate crime.
Authorities said Madden continued to hurl racial epithets at the victim even in the presence of officers.
The Source: The Palo Alto Police Department