A 24-year-old Irvine resident has been arrested for allegedly committing a hate crime against an African American high school student waiting for a ride home, according to the Irvine Police Department.
Christopher Qu was arrested on suspicion of a hate crime, felony assault and assault with a deadly weapon, says Irvine Police spokeswoman Farrah Emami.
Around 12:50 p.m. Wednesday, the student was waiting in front of Irvine High School for his 24-year-old brother to pick him up from sports practice. (The school is on spring break and not in session otherwise.)
The older brother drove up to the school as the student was being approached by a man neither knew carrying a metal pipe, Emami said.
“Unprovoked, Qu began using racial slurs and aggressively walking toward the student,” she alleged. “The student’s older brother got out of the car in time to intervene, but was head-butted by the suspect and struck several times in the arm with the pipe.”
He suffered a laceration to his face and cuts and bruises to his arm. The 16-year-old was not physically harmed.
The brothers were able to get into their vehicle and call 9-1-1. Though the attacker left the scene on foot, police located Qu and arrested him nearby, according to Emami, who added a bloody pipe was recovered in the school parking lot.
“IPD vigorously investigates all forms of hate crimes including violent acts, vandalism, graffiti, intimidation, criminal threats and other crimes motivated by a person’s gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or physical disability,” the spokeswoman noted.
