A Mountain View man arrested Sunday afternoon on suspicion of a hate crime has been placed on administrative leave by the city's elementary and middle school district.
The Mountain View Whisman School District said in an email to KCBS Radio that Shamir Simmons, a 37-year-old At Risk Specialist at Theuerkauf Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave Monday.
A day earlier, he was arrested near downtown Mountain View on suspicion of a hate crime, among other charges, after police said he made "racially charged statements" to a Hispanic couple following a car accident.
"As an inclusive educational institution, MVWSD takes this situation seriously," district Public Information Officer Shelly Hausman said in an email to KCBS Radio on Monday night. "We do not condone any behavior that is disruptive or harmful to any individual or group of people."
As of June, a slight plurality of the district's students (33.75%) were Hispanic or Latino.
The Mountain View Police Department said in a release earlier Monday that Simmons was arrested at his apartment on Sunday under suspicion of driving under the influence, hit and run, battery and a hate crime.
He was then arrested on suspicion of threatening an officer after police said he threatened to kill an officer's wife and children prior to being transported from the department to the Santa Clara County Jail.
A caller told police that Simmons "physically assaulted" the couple, becoming angry following a two-car collision on the 1600 block of Villa Street at around noon on Sunday.
Simmons then ran to his apartment on the 200 block of Chiquita Ave., where he was arrested and investigators discovered he was intoxicated.
[iframe https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3169.6654450449637!2d-122.09162015859413!3d37.39774345032153!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x808fb0b6835d78f1%3A0x25b01a51cf604354!2s200%20Chiquita%20Ave%2C%20Mountain%20View%2C%20CA%2094041!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1627948958627!5m2!1sen!2sus allowfullscreen="0" style="width:100%;height:100%;border:0"]The district said Simmons will be placed on leave "pending the outcome of an investigation." Theuerkauf's first day of school is set for Aug. 11.
