Window smashed in possible hate crime, Huntington Beach police say

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A man smashed a rock through a window and Huntington Beach police were investigating the act as a possible hate crime against an African-American family.

The Caballeros family recently moved into the Huntington Beach community and said they love their new home.

But authorities said in the early morning hours on Tuesday, the family awoke to a terrifying sound.

"What I heard yelled before I heard the big crash, was 'I'm going to kill you,' with the 'N' word," Elisha Caballero recalled.

Piles of broken glass littered the family's floor after police said a man on a bicycle threw a rock through their window.

Caballero's 14-year-old son and his friend witnessed the attack.

"When he left they heard him say, 'This really felt good,'" Caballero said.

Caballero was worried about the safety of her sons, ages 9 and 14, but said her fear was already heightened by tensions around the country.

"Someone would just do something like this just because of the color of my skin, just really, really, just hurt my heart," Caballero said.

Huntington Beach police were investigating the attack as a possible hate crime and were looking for the man on the bicycle.

"Male white, late 20s to early 30s, wearing a white T-shirt, a dark button-up shirt over that, blue jeans, dark shoes, dark baseball cap," Officer Jennifer Marlatt with the Huntington Beach Police Department described the suspect.

Caballero said she used the attack as a teaching moment for her sons.

"You can be angry and you could not like me, but definitely we need to respect one another," she stated.

As Caballero cleaned up the pieces of shattered glass, she wanted the community and the suspect to hear a message.

"Love is what is going to drive out hate and we just have to love one another," she said.

Anyone with information about the attack was urged to call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-847-6227. Callers can remain anonymous.