The incident happened July 2. Police say the suspect also yelled racial slurs about the woman’s hijab and Muslims.
“That’s what caused all the abrasions, and she wasn’t able to scream because she was being choked,” said Salam Al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
The suspect ran away. Police are hoping someone recognizes him. He is described as a white male in his 30s, 5 feet 8 inches tall to 5 feet 9 inches tall with a thin build, short brown hair, brown eyes and a trimmed brown mustache and beard. He was wearing a white button down shirt, black pants and possibly black shoes.
“Any crime, but a hate crime in particular is not only a crime against the individual, but against the whole community, so we truly would ask for the public’s help in stepping forward on this,” said Long Beach police Chief Jim McDonnell.
