A Bay Area special education aide says he is the target of a hate crime that he believes was committed by one of his neighbors. Chuck Coppola reports.
Police are investigating a possible hate crime in Santa Clara where a man's car was filled with anti-gay messages earlier this week.
David Quintana-Mueting said he discovered the vandalism on his car Monday morning.
"I was hurt, scared and angry, very angry," Quintana-Mueting said.
He also found pamphlets, a DVD, booklets and other notes on how to not be gay along with a gay slur that appeared to be handwritten over dew on his windshield. Quintana-Mueting said he also discovered a demand among handwritten papers that "gays and smokers get out of the complex."
"When I saw that, my heart sank," Quintana-Mueting said. "Someone in my own building is doing this."
Santa Clara police said a detective has been assigned to investigate the case, which has been classified as a suspicious circumstance, and is following up on leads.
"A person has to feel intimidated for it to be a hate crime. If our investigators think this reaches that level, we'll resolve this and arrest someone," Lt. Kurt Clarke said.
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Police haven't called the incident a hate crime because they haven't found out the "true motivation" behind the messages or suspect's identity.
Quintana-Mueting said he wants those responsible to be evicted.
"I want justice to be done," he said. "People need to know this is not OK."
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the police detective division at 408-615-4800.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
