Milwaukee police arrested a man suspected of throwing battery acid on a Hispanic man who says his attacker asked him, “Why did you come here and invade my country?”
Police said Monday they arrested a 61-year-old white man suspected in Friday night’s attack and were investigating the case as a hate crime. They refused to release his name pending charges, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel identified him as Clifton A. Blackwell, a military veteran whose mother said had struggled with post-traumatic stress.
Mahud Villalaz suffered second-degree burns to his face. He said the attack happened after a man confronted him about how he had parked his car and accused him of being in the U.S. illegally. Villalaz, 42, is a U.S. citizen who immigrated from Peru.
