Police investigating hate crime

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Punch after punch, a Charlotte man takes a beating from complete strangers. Investigators call the attack an “obvious hate crime.”

“Forty times at least,” said Wilian Perla of the blows to his head.

Perla, of Salvadoran descent, had just checked his mailbox when two men approached him from behind Friday. It happened in plain daylight.

“I don't hate nobody,” Perla said. “I have plenty of friends from the African-American community."

His attackers punched and yelled.

“‘Go back to your home,’” Perla said they told him. “‘What are you doing here? Go back. We don't need you here, (expletive) Mexican.’”

Perla felt disoriented but he's sure of one thing and police agree.

"They never tried to steal me this,” he said while pointing to his gold bracelet. “They just hit me I think because I’m a Latin guy.”

Detectives with the Criminal Intelligence Unit of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department investigate as many as 100 possible hate crimes each year.

"With the increase of the Hispanic population we obviously see more Hispanic victims," said Detective Milton Harris.

Despite the increase of Latino victims, the number of confirmed hate crimes has remained steady over the last couple of years: 11 cases in 2006, 10 cases in 2007.

“I think there are more people but they’re scared to say something,” said Perla.

Harris agrees that many Latino victims probably don’t come forward. He worries because it’s a crime that affects the entire community.

“When will you fall in their criteria,” Harris questioned. “They may hate Hispanics today. They make hate woman tomorrow. They may hate blacks next week."

Perla doesn't put all the blame on his attackers.

"I’m calling on the politicians to stop saying wrong things about the Spanish community," said Perla.

Specifically, Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James, Perla said. James recently compared undocumented immigrants to prostitutes and drug dealers.

"That's the problem you know. They incite to hate,” Perla added.

WCNC reached out to James for comment. We didn’t hear from James by the time this report was published.