FREMONT, Calif. (Diya TV) — A Union City man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime after allegedly assaulting a woman and her family at a Fremont McDonald’s restaurant earlier this month, according to Fremont police.
Marcus Harper, 22, was taken into custody on April 15, 2025, by detectives with the Fremont Police Department. Authorities say Harper approached a family eating lunch and began harassing them in what police are calling a racially motivated attack.
According to the Fremont Police Department, Harper first took food from the family’s table and ate it before them. He then walked away briefly before returning and slapping an adult woman across the face while standing behind her.
The woman, who was dining with two children, told police Harper said “you Indians need to go back to your country” after the assault. He yelled at the family and threw a packet of dipping sauce at one of the children.
Harper’s statement led investigators to classify the case as a hate crime. Officers arrived after Harper had fled, but surveillance footage from inside the restaurant and a vehicle registered to him—a 2003 Honda Accord—helped police identify him.
Neither the woman nor the child was physically injured, but police say the incident has been classified as a hate crime under California law.
The department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit took over the investigation, which led to the identification of Harper as the suspect. Harper was arrested without incident and booked into Santa Rita Jail.
Alameda County District Attorney’s Office formally charged Harper with a hate crime under California Penal Code 422.6(a), which prohibits interference with another person’s civil rights based on race, religion, or other protected characteristics. He was also charged with battery under Penal Code 242.
Fremont police have not released additional details about the victims, citing privacy concerns, but confirmed that the woman and children are cooperating with investigators.
The incident comes amid a broader statewide and national focus on combating hate crimes, which have seen a rise in recent years. California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office reported in its most recent annual hate crime report that crimes motivated by bias or discrimination increased by more than 20 percent statewide in the past year.
Harper remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail as of Friday. His arraignment is scheduled for next week. Authorities are encouraging anyone with additional information about the case to contact the Fremont Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit.
