Two Men Arrested for Alleged Hate Crime in Ojai Valley
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department reports that two 17-year-old boys were allegedly threatened by two men in a motor vehicle while standing close to an intersection in the Mira Monte region of Ojai Valley, close to Oxnard, according to ABC 7 News.
Authorities allege that two men, ages 22 and 19, drove up to aggressively talk with the two boys, identifying themselves as skinheads and made racial and sexual slurs. The victims reported that one of the men got out of the car and slapped one of them, and claimed that the man said he had a handgun that he threatened to use. The two men reportedly then drove away and returned several minutes later, and came close to hitting one victim before leaving the scene.
Once the alleged incident was reported to authorities, a search was launched. The suspects were found within an hour after they came back to a convenience store nearby. Authorities found prescription drugs in the vehicle that were not prescribed to either suspect. The two men were arrested; one man was arrested for battery, hate crime enhancement, criminal threats, and possession of a controlled substance; while the other was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and criminal threats. According to authorities, the suspects and the victims did not know each other before the alleged incident.
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