A man was locked up Monday in Banning on suspicion of recent burglaries classified by police as hate crimes for allegedly targeting victims "based on their ethnicity and sexual orientation," according to booking records and Palm Springs police.
The alleged burglaries were reported early Friday.
About 3:10 a.m. July 26, police went to a burglary report in the 400 block of Bella Cara Way, Palm Springs police Sgt. Harvey Reed said in a statement.
"The victim, a 49-year-old male, reported that he was asleep inside his residence when he woke up to find a male subject standing next to his bed," Reed said. "The victim reported that he yelled at the subject who then ran out of the victim's residence."
Police found evidence at the scene that indicated the suspect may have injured himself. While searching for him, police determined two other residences in the immediate area had been burglarized, Reed said.
Police continued searching and about 5:35 a.m. July 26, they found a subject at a local hospital who was seeking treatment for an injury, Reed said.
"Officers contacted the subject, who was identified as Paul Claudio Piermartiri," Reed said. "The officers' investigation led them to believe that Piermartiri had committed the burglaries and targeted the victims based on their ethnicity and sexual orientation."
Contacted by phone before noon Monday July 29, Reed declined to disclose any specifics about the victims' ethnicity or sexual orientation, and said the police investigation was continuing.
Piermartiri, 26, of Palm Springs, was booked at Smith Correctional in Banning on suspicion of three counts of first-degree burglary, one hate crime count, and one count of violating probation, all felonies. He was held Monday without bail, according to booking records.
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