PASADENA >> Police are seeking a man in connection with an unprovoked attack on an interracial couple outside a Pasadena coffee shop, which authorities are investigating as a hate crime, officials said.
A 29-year-old black woman and a 36-year-old man of Armenian descent, both Glendale residents, were outside a Starbucks at Los Robles Avenue and Colorado Boulevard about 7 p.m. when the attacker confronted them, Pasadena police Lt. John Luna said.
“Without provocation, he made reference to the race of both victims,” Luna said. “The suspect spat on the female victim and punched the male victim.”
The male victim sought his own medical treatment for a cut to his lower lip, the lieutenant said. The woman wasn’t hurt. The couple did not report the crime to police until several hours later.
Luna said the suspect apparently objected to the fact the man and woman were of different races.
“Based on the fact that race was the provocation, we’re investigating it as a hate crime,” he said.
Police described the suspect as a black man in his 20s, about 6 feet 2 inches tall and 190 pounds, with his hair in dreadlocks. He wore a red jacket and blue jeans.