Two Northern California high school girls have been arrested and charged with felony vandalism and committing a hate crime after reportedly vandalizing a car that belonged to a coach at Yosemite High School, the Sierra Star reports.
“Initial media coverage of the incident may have scared the suspects into contacting the victim to try and apologize for their actions in the hope that they wouldn’t get in trouble,” Sheriff’s Lt. Bill Ward said of the two girls, reportedly ages 15 and 16.
The girls allegedly painted racial and homophobic slurs on the vehicle belonging to Yosemite High School’s junior varsity boys soccer coach Victor Salazar, including a phallic image with the word “Trump” in it and “Go back to Mexico.”
Salazar, who graduated from Yosemite High School in 2014 before taking up the position as coach, could not understand who would target him with such hateful messages.
“I was very loved by teachers and students,” Salazar said. “And now that I started coaching at the high school, I was even more. And the more I think about it, I cannot picture who would have done this.”
According to ABC 30, Salazar didn’t know the two girls who are allegedly responsible.
Read more at the Sierra Star and ABC 30.