Mar 12, 2008 1:27 pm US/Mountain
2 Arrested For Alleged Attack On Hispanic Man
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) ―
Two men were arrested Tuesday in connection with what appeared to be a bias-motivated crime, Boulder police said.
Abraham Paquet, 19 of Broomfield, and Joshua Ruzek, 19 of Lafayette, were allegedly seen assaulting a Hispanic customer who had come out of the PDQ in the 5200 block of Manhattan Circle.
The customer, Ivan Ponce De Leon-Najera, 26 of Lafayette, told officers the two men approached him at about 6:15 p.m. and called him a derogatory name associated with his ethnicity.
Leon-Najera said the pair then asked him "Why are you stealing our jobs?"
The confrontation turned physical, with the suspects pushing and punching the victim, police said. Leon-Najera said that one of them also attempted to spit on him.
Police said they have also learned the suspects were also involved in an altercation on a bus a short time before the incident outside the store. The victim in that case, a 15-year-old Caucasian boy, said the men took his cell phone and his skateboard.
The boy was able to get the phone back but when he got off the bus with the men and confronted them about the skateboard, the suspects allegedly pushed him to the ground, police said.
The boy did not want to pursue charges, but still called 911.
Paquet is being held for investigation of a bias-motivated crime, third-degree assault, robbery and harassment. Ruzek was arrested on suspicion of a bias-motivated crime, harassment and possession/consumption of alcohol by an underage person.
Anyone with information about the crime or suspects was asked to contact Detective Carlene Hofmann at the Boulder Police Detective section at 303-441-3330.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments