Following two incidents this week, Rochester police are filing hate crime and other offense charges

Rochester police are investigating an incident that occurred this week as a hate crime.

They say that on Tuesday, June 11, a person walking along the 700 block of Monroe Avenue noticed a vehicle apparently following her. The vehicle accelerated and drove toward the victim, who police say ran into his place of work.

Officials say the suspect exited the vehicle and followed the man inside and then struck him multiple times while yelling homophobic slurs and then left the area in his car. The victim was treated for a non-life-threatening injury to his upper body.

Approximately 45 minutes later, RPD responded to the Price Rite convenience store on University Ave. for a report of a pedestrian struck by a car. They found a male pedestrian in his 40s struck by a car. The victim was taken to the hospital with what appeared to be a non-life threatening injury to his upper body.

An investigation led to the arrest of 29-year-old Alexander Ortiz, who is considered a suspect in both incidents.

He is charged with assault and reckless endangerment in connection with the incident on Monroe Avenue, with assault being classified as a hate crime, i.e. a serious crime.

Ortiz was also charged with failure to report a collision involving personal injury and another count of reckless endangerment. He also had an outstanding warrant for harassment in connection with a previous incident, according to police.

Ortiz was arrested Thursday afternoon and taken to the county jail.