News

Police: Man charged with hate crime after yelling racial slurs at store clerk

ARLINGTON, Mass. - A Somerville man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime after allegedly yelling racial and anti-immigrant epithets at a phone store clerk in Arlington.

On Tuesday night, Arlington Police were called to the Verizon Wireless store on Massachusetts Avenue for a disturbance. A clerk told police that a man came into the store trying to get his cell phone fixed. The man told the clerk he did not have a Verizon Wireless plan and the clerk replied he is only allowed to repair Verizon phones.

The man, identified as 36-year-old Andrew DeCarlo, allegedly became angry and began shouting racial and anti-immigrant epithets at the clerk.

The clerk said DeCarlo kept swearing and using racist language toward him. He said DeCarlo was sweating, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists as he moved around the corner and toward the clerk.

Soon after, DeCarlo was found, arrested, and charged with assault with intent to intimidate. Police say he is known to them and has outstanding issues in Somerville.