Second man arrested for worshipper’s stabbing outside mosque
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- Police have arrested a second man for allegedly stabbing a worshipper near a Simi Valley mosque, a case police are reportedly investigating as a possible hate crime.
The Daily News of Los Angeles reports that 26-year-old Marco De La Cruz was arrested Thursday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, making criminal threats, and civil rights and parole violations. De La Cruz was already wanted on outstanding felony warrants and was taken into custody during a SWAT raid, reports CBS Los Angeles.
It’s unclear whether he has a lawyer.
Police say De la Cruz is a gang member with an extensive criminal record. He is also reportedly a neighbor of 29-year-old John Matteson, who was previously arrested in connection to the attack and has pleaded not guilty to making criminal threats and other charges with hate-crime enhancements.
Police say the two men approached a group of people who’d just left the mosque late Saturday night and yelled slurs at them, prompting a fight during which one worshipper was stabbed.
The stabbing victim was treated at the Simi Valley Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.