The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating an attack after a man had acid thrown in his face and claimed he was told to “go back” to his country.
Mahud Villalaz, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen, got into an argument over a parking space Friday night when the other man told him to “go back to [his] country” and tossed acid in his face, leaving him with second-degree burns and scarring. The man allegedly told Villalaz to “get out of this country” and called him “illegal.”
Villalaz has been living in the United States for 19 years while working as a welder. He is originally from Peru.
“I believe (I) am a victim of a hate crime because (of) how he approached me,” he told WISN.
Villalaz claimed the acid started to burn his face “really bad.” He said he screamed and ran into a nearby restaurant for help.
“I think I pissed him off because I told him, ‘This is my country. This isn’t your country. Everybody came from somewhere else here,'” Villalaz said of the altercation.
Milwaukee police have arrested a 61-year-old man in connection to the attack on Villalaz. Milwaukee Alderman Jose Perez noted that the attack is “being probed as a hate crime.”
“The acid attack last night near 13th and Cleveland was a heinous crime that will have a long-term impact on the life of the victim,” Perez explained. “This was senseless violence, it needs to stop.”
Milwaukee police did not specify if hate crime charges are warranted but noted “this is still an open investigation.”
