Man Held For Allegedly Stabbing Worshipper Near Mosque

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — A man has been arrested on suspicion of committing a hate crime after police say he stabbed a worshipper near a Simi Valley mosque.

Police said reports of people fighting sent them to a shopping center parking lot near the mosque around 11:15 p.m. Saturday. Officers separated the combatants and found that one person had been stabbed.

Police say the fight began after a man confronted a worshipper and got into a verbal dispute.

Twenty-nine-year-old John Matteson was arrested nearby.

Police say the victim had non-life threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

According to a Ventura County sheriff's website, Matteson remained jailed Sunday on suspicion of making criminal threats, violating civil rights and disturbing the peace by fighting.