Hate Crime Investigation Launched After Ukrainian Flag Defecated On In Front Of Palo Alto Home
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) – Police in Palo Alto have launched a hate crime investigation after a Ukrainian flag displayed outside a home was taken down and defecated on last week.
On Thursday, officers were called to a home on the 1400 block of Alma Street after a resident reported the flag was damaged the night before. The flag was placed on a hedge in their front yard.
An investigation determined that sometime between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, the flag was torn from the hedge and left in a bundle in the front yard. When the resident inspected the flag, they found what appeared to be feces.
Additional details about the incident or a potential suspect description was not immediately available. Police said there have been no similar incidents involving the Ukrainian flag in the community.
"The City of Palo Alto strongly denounces hate crimes of all kinds, and encourages members of our community to promptly report these incidents," police said in a statement.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the department's dispatch center by calling 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can also be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or by sending a voicemail or text message to 650-383-8984.