A suspected assault with a deadly weapon by two brothers in a Starbucks parking lot Thursday afternoon is now being treated as a hate crime, according to officials.
Deputies believe that the two Hispanic Santa Clarita men — one aged 60 years old and the other 68 — got into an altercation around noon outside a Starbucks located on the 24200 block of Valencia Boulevard.
At some point, the two brothers, according to deputies, shouted a derogatory remark at an adult Asian man sitting outside of the Starbucks, said Shirley Miller, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
“An argument ensued between the two male adult suspects and the victim,” Miller said. “One of the suspects allegedly said a racially derogatory statement, then threw a chair at the victim. The suspect went to their car and the victim was struck by the car when they were backing up.”
The two brothers then fled in the scene in their vehicle, leading deputies on a search. The suspects were later found and arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
The two suspects, George and Joe Orellana, were booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and held in lieu of $30,000 bail.
Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel also responded to the scene for reports of a traffic collision but confirmed no one was hurt, according to spokesman Marvin Lim.
