PALO ALTO — A 50-year-old Palo Alto woman was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of spitting on a man while shouting a racial epithet at him, according to authorities.
Officers were called to Lytton Plaza in the 200 block of University Avenue around 6 p.m. Saturday for a report of a fight, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a news release. They arrived to find a man in his 60s who said he had just been accosted by a woman.
Police said an investigation revealed the man had been sitting in the plaza when the woman approached him and without provocation spat on him while yelling a racial epithet directed at Black people.
The man, fearing for his safety, left the plaza as the woman continued to shout, police said.
Officers found a suspect a short distance away and detained her without incident.
When she saw the man nearby, she resumed yelling racial epithets at him, police said.
The woman was booked into Santa Clara County jail on misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace, battery and committing a hate crime, as well as a warrant for vandalism.
Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 650-329-2413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.