Jose Carlos Irra

Man arrested in Mission Beach alleged hate crime assault

By Edward Era Barbacena

SAN DIEGO - A suspect in an alleged hate-motivated assault on a gathering of friends attending a nighttime beach outing near Belmont Park was behind bars Friday.

Jose Carlos Irra, 20, allegedly was among a group of young men who belligerently confronted the partying group at a fire pit off the 3000 block of Mission Boulevard in Mission Beach about 11:30 p.m. Monday, according to San Diego police.

One of the intruders shouted "anti-LGBTQ" slurs at one the victims, a 26-year-old woman, and Irra allegedly put a pistol to the head of a 30-year- old man, San Diego Crime Stoppers reported.

“They started yelling at us, just different homophobic slurs. There were racial slurs. There were also threats of sexual assault several times. One man told someone specifically they were going to rape them,”

Someone in the group of antagonists also hurled a filled 24-ounce beer can, hitting the female victim in the face and leaving her with a black eye. The assailants then walked off.

Fernando Zweifach Lopez Jr, Executive Director of San Diego Pride released the following statement:

“It can be easy in California to think our battles have been won. The truth, however, is that LGBTQ people are still not protected equally under the law and are faced with disproportionate levels of discrimination and violence in our daily lives. Our work is far from over. I wish the victims safety, joy, and justice as they heal from this tragic act of hate.”

Investigators identified Irra as a suspect in the case with help from tips from the public, according to police.

Irra was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and brandishing a firearm in a threatening manner, along with a hate-crime allegation. He was being held on $30,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.