Assault on Latino man in Petaluma a hate crime, police say

A Petaluma man was being held at the Sonoma County Jail Tuesday night on suspicion of hitting a Latino man with a stick in an incident police called a hate crime.

Timothy Schmelzer, 58, who police said is homeless, was arrested Monday after authorities received a 911 call just after 8 p.m. about a man who hit another person with a large stick at the River Plaza shopping center on East Washington Street, the Petaluma Police Department said in a news release on Tuesday.

Officers went to the location and the caller’s description of the suspect led them to identify Schmelzer as the reported assailant.

Their investigation revealed the victim was loading things onto a bicycle when Schmelzer approached him and began cursing at him, police said in a news release.

The victim ignored Schmelzer, who at some point said he did not like Hispanic people and hit the victim with a large stick.The victim, whose primary language is Spanish, was not injured, authorities said.

Schmelzer was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and committing a hate crime.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com.