By Khalida Sarwari
Oktoberfest, a time of fun and celebration for most people, started off on a scary note for Campbell Vice Mayor Evan Low, who was verbally assaulted by a woman in what authorities say may have been a criminal act.
The incident occurred on Oct. 13, at about 4:35 p.m., according to Campbell Police Capt. Dave Carmichael. Low said he and a friend were walking along Campbell Avenue on their way to Oktoberfest, discussing the nice weather in Campbell that day, when he was suddenly confronted by a woman who began screaming at him at the top of her lungs.
He said the woman told him to “Go back to China” and “Die, you faggot” while pointing her finger in the shape of a gun and directing it at him. She repeated, “You will die,” Low said.
“It was just really out there,” he said, adding that the obscenities lasted anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes as the woman stood about an arm’s length from him. “So random and out of the blue.”
Low said he was shocked and did not recognize her at first. As a crowd began forming to see what the commotion was about, Low took out his phone and called the police.
“I said to her, ‘Why are you so hateful?’ ” Low recounted.
In what Low called a “silver lining” in the confrontation that afternoon, several bystanders came to his defense. Some yelled back at the woman, telling her that what she was saying was not OK. The woman eventually turned around and got into a white Mercedes, Low recalled. As she was driving away, a woman with a baby stroller went after her and spit on her car.
As Low waited for officers to arrive, he realized the woman was the same one that other city staff had complained to him about in the past, from running into her privately or at city council meetings.
He said he has never experienced such a confrontation while in office, and that the incident left him shocked.
“I just think we live in a democracy and freedom of speech is very important, but at the same time we need to recognize that we need to have an appreciation for people of all backgrounds,” Low said. “Violence is not OK. It’s terrible that in this day and age something like this could happen.”
By the time officers responded, the woman had left and police were unable to find her immediately, Carmichael said. She has been identified as a 52-year-old woman. Carmichael said while police are not actively looking for her, they would like to interview her if they find her.
“The investigation has been completed, and the case was submitted to the district attorney’s office,” he said. “They’re reviewing it and seeing whether they should press charges.”
While her actions did not quite qualify as a hate crime, the woman could be charged with using offensive words in a public place that are likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction, a misdemeanor.
If the district attorney’s office decides to file criminal charges against her, Campbell police will serve a warrant for her arrest, Carmichael said.
The woman is not a Campbell resident but has a criminal record from past run-ins with Campbell police, Carmichael said. As recently as this year, she was arrested for trespassing at a Starbucks. And, added Carmichael, “We’re familiar with her at council meetings where she’s caused disturbances before.”
Woman’s verbal tirade directed at Campbell vice mayor Low may be considered criminal act
