Arrest Made in Mission Beach Hate Crime Case; Search Continues for 2nd Suspect – NBC San Diego

A reward of up to $1,000 was offered to anyone with information leading to the arrest of two armed men accused of a hate crime earlier this week during a confrontation at Mission Beach.

San Diego police said on Friday that they had one of them in custody after receiving several tips.

Jose Irra, 20, was arrested Thursday for assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a firearm and a hate crime, police said in a news release issued Friday afternoon.

The attack took place on Monday night shortly after 11:30 near the 3000 block of Mission Boulevard, where a group was enjoying a bonfire on the beach when they were approached by a group of young men.

Authorities said one of the men began to hurl anti-LGBTQ slurs at the group and a 26-year-old woman was hit in the left eye by a beer can thrown by one of the young men who had approached. Another man pulled out a black handgun and pointed it at the head of a 30-year-old man who was with the female victim.

The woman suffered a bruised eye; the man was physically uninjured, according to authorities.

The group of men left the area after the assault and were last seen walking toward a parking lot. They may have gotten into a black sedan after the violence.

One of the attackers is described as a man between the ages of 25 to 30. He had on a black tank top, ripped jeans, an anchor pendant chain, black shoes, a black backwards baseball cap and a tattoo on his chest of a rose and lead.

The second assailant is described as a man 18-to-25-years-old who wore a black shirt, camouflage shorts, a black and white lanyard, front-facing black cap and black shoes.

It’s not yet clear which of the suspects is Irra.

Anyone with more information about the case is urged to call the San Diego Police Department’s Northern Division at (858) 552-1726. Anonymous tips can be made by contacting CrimeStoppers at (888) 580-8477.