Man Charged With Hate Crime In Cupertino T-Mobile Store Incident

CUPERTINO, CA — A 61-year-old man was charged with a felony hate crime on suspicion of attacking an employee at a T-Mobile store in Cupertino and yelling racial epithets at her and a co-worker, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

The suspect, Clifford Stewart, was also accused of threatening to kill a sheriff’s deputy who arrested him.

Stewart removed a T-Mobile sign from the walkway to the store on Stevens Creek Boulevard on Wednesday, according to prosecutors. When two employees — a 38-year-old Hispanic woman and a 33-year-old Asian man — went to retrieve the sign, Stewart yelled racial epithets directed at both of them that included “(expletive) Chinese, you don’t belong here” and “stupid Mexicans,” prosecutors said.

“Hate crimes send an ugly and ignorant message to our community that certain people are not welcome here,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “My response is that I will do everything in my power to hold criminal racists accountable in court. Hate is not welcome here.”

Stewart was then accused of kicking the woman in the stomach and punching her in the face after she told him she was going to call the police. The woman lost sight in her left eye temporarily, according to prosecutors, and was taken to Stanford Hospital.

Stewart fled to the nearby Cupertino Sports center after the man intervened. He was arrested a short time later and charged with force likely to produce great bodily injury, hate crimes, vandalism, and threat against a police officer.

He faces prison time if convicted.