SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged with hate crimes for harassing and assaulting two Muslim women in Irvine.

Circumstances of the Case

• On March 1, 2017, Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 were walking toward their car in an Irvine shopping center parking lot. Jane Doe 1 was wearing a religious head scarf.
• Pascual is accused of driving up to the victims and yelling an anti-Muslim expletive before driving away.
• The defendant is accused of driving again toward Jane Doe 1 and Jane 2, then stopping his car behind their vehicle momentarily, which prevented them from leaving.
• The victims drove out of the parking lot a few minutes later and stopped at a red light down the street from the shopping center.
• At the light, Pascual is accused of driving up to the victims' vehicle and throwing coins at them, striking the victims and their car.
• The victims reported the assault to the Irvine Police Department (IPD), who investigated this case and identified the defendant through surveillance footage and a partial license plate from the victims.
• Pascual was arrested yesterday by IPD.

Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Jess Rodriguez, Special Prosecutions Unit

Orange County District Attorney / Case # 17HF0992 / July 27, 2017