Sheriff: Suspect Arrested In Bay Point Vandalism; Made To Appear As Hate Crime
BAY POINT (CBS SF) -- An Oakland resident has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing a Bay Point neighborhood with racist graffiti and destruction of property in an attack that was made to appear as if it was a hate crime, according to authorities.
Alvin Brown, 63, is accused of leaving a trail of destruction in a cul-de-sac in Bay Point, near a main road early Wednesday morning, breaking windows with rocks and bricks and spray-painting racist messages on cars and homes.
The attack targeted three African American families on the block. Authorities did not identify the street where it occured out of concern for retaliation.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office said Brown made the graffiti and vandalism appear to be racially-motivated, but that it was not the case. Brown also had a relationship with one of the victims of the vandalism.
"I can't speak to the exact details. We do know that they have had a relationship and still have an ongoing relationship, but the details of that relationship I don't want to disclose at this time just because were still in the middle of the investigation," said sheriff's spokeswoman Capt. Melissa Klawuhn.
Neighbor Bennie Addison told KPIX 5 she doesn't understand why the hate crime charge wasn't added.
"I would think that yeah, it would be a hate crime. You can be a black person, a white person, whoever did it, but what you did is still hateful," said Addison.
Neighbor Cass'ius McGill concurred.
"If he was bold enough to say that word and put that word on people's houses, then he should be able to take the weight of the repercussions," said McGill.
Brown faces felony vandalism charges.