​Man Arrested After Crashing Vehicle Into Islamic Center In Novato: Police

NOVATO, CA — A man whose vehicle crashed into a building on the property of the Islamic Center of North Marin was accused of attacking a member of the mosque, police announced Saturday.

David Slattery, 33, of Novato faces charges of felony assault, burglary and vandalism, according to the Novato Police Department. Police said they were unable to determine whether the incident was hate-motivated or a hate crime.

Police responded to a disturbance around 11:30 a.m. Friday in the 7000 block of Redwood Boulevard when a patrol officer heard what sounded like a vehicle collision at the Islamic Center, according to the department.

The officer saw a man getting out of the driver's seat of a vehicle that had struck a building on the property. The driver opened the building door, made incoherent statements and began attacking a mosque member, police said.

The officer stopped the attack and detained the suspect. The adult male victim suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.

"Thank you to the concerned community member who called the police department about the disturbance, enabling our officer to be in the right place at the right time to intervene and prevent further harm," police said on social media. "Like schools and community centers, we regularly provide high-visibility extra patrols to our faith-based community organizations, including this location."