Monterey man arrested on hate crime charge after allegedly vandalizing vehicle of person “because they were Muslim,” says police

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- A 46-year-old Monterey man is facing hate crime and vandalism charges after allegedly scratching a person's car because they were Muslim.

Monterey Police identified the man as Mikhail Faybyshev and said the incident happened December 3, 2023 around 9:16 p.m. on the 300 block of Pine Street.

According to police, the victim reported they were sitting in their car when a man approached the vehicle and started scratching letters into the car.

Police said the suspect realized they were caught in the act and ran from the scene.

Monterey PD said they were investigating the scene and gathering evidence when a vehicle drove up to a neighboring property of the victim's. Police said Faybyshev was a passenger in that vehicle.

Police matched the suspect description and video surveillance to Faybyshev. Police said the suspect told police he scratched the victim's car and had done so because they were Muslim.

According to police the city had four reported hate crimes this year. Two incidents where people were targeted because of their race and another two based on their religion.

Back in 2022, police also had four reported hate crimes, with three being because of a person's race and another based on sexual orientation.