Attacked Stockton Teen: 'It Was A Hate Crime'
STOCKTON (CBS13) - A teenager says she was targeted and terrorized by a complete stranger because of the color of her skin.
"I've never seen this guy a day before in my life. I don't know this person and out of nowhere he blew up on me," said Dolores.
The 17-year-old is scared she might cross paths with the man again.
"He started yelling at me out of nowhere - nowhere," said Dolores.
She'd never seen him before, and Dolores prays she never does again.
"It was like a life or death situation, you know? I was really afraid," she said.
She was minding her own business, waiting for a friend at Stockton's Weston Ranch gated community Tuesday night.
Dolores says a complete stranger pulled up in an SUV and without warning lost it. He screamed at that teen to leave, even calling her the n-word.
"The guy kept shouting, like 'she don't belong in here. Get her out of here,' " said Dolores. "He was calling me a bunch of (expletive), like 'get out of here.' "
Dolores drove off with her friend and remembers the sheer terror of what happened next.
She says the man cut in front of her and slammed on his brakes. Dolores swerved, but says the guy rammed the side of her car, leaving behind a big dent.
The 17-year-old kept driving toward the freeway, frightened he might run her off the road.
"Really, I'm speeding, I'm passing red lights, I'm screaming, crying, scared because I don't know what's wrong with this guy," said Dolores. "We realized he must've not had a gun because he probably would've shot at us already if he did."
Just before Dolores got to the police station downtown, the man drove off. It was the end of a senseless attack with no rhyme or reason.
"I figured it was a hate crime. It had to be, cause he had no reason to come at me like that at all," said Dolores.
He's a stranger to Dolores, but not to police. Investigators say it's believed the same man called Stockton police dispatch belligerent the night before. However, he is not in custody at this time.
