Case # 17HF0992
Date: July 27, 2017
MAN CHARGED WITH HATE CRIMES FOR HARASSING AND ASSAULTING TWO MUSLIM WOMEN IN IRVINE
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged with hate crimes for harassing and assaulting two Muslim women in Irvine.
| Defendant | Charges | Maximum Sentence | Court Date |
| Brandon Ricardo Pascual, 35, Irvine | Charged on July 26, 2017, with the following felony counts:
|
Three years in state prison | Arraignment
Date: TBD |
Circumstances of the Case
- On March 1, 2017, Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 were walking toward their car in an Irvine shopping center parking lot. Jane Doe 1 was wearing a religious head scarf.
- Pascual is accused of driving up to the victims and yelling an anti-Muslim expletive before driving away.
- The defendant is accused of driving again toward Jane Doe 1 and Jane 2, then stopping his car behind their vehicle momentarily, which prevented them from leaving.
- The victims drove out of the parking lot a few minutes later and stopped at a red light down the street from the shopping center.
- At the light, Pascual is accused of driving up to the victims’ vehicle and throwing coins at them, striking the victims and their car.
- The victims reported the assault to the Irvine Police Department (IPD), who investigated this case and identified the defendant through surveillance footage and a partial license plate from the victims.
- Pascual was arrested yesterday by IPD.
Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Jess Rodriguez, Special Prosecutions Unit