Suspects sought in racially motivated assault on tree trimmer, Placer deputies say

Placer County officials are looking for two men suspected of a racially motivated assault on Saturday against a tree trimmer in Colfax.

In a news release, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said two men driving a silver pickup truck stopped near a tree-trimming crew that was working on Canyon Way.

Two white men, one in his mid 40s and the other in his early 20s, got out of the truck, approached the foreman of the work crew and began insulting him.

One of the men grabbed the foreman and pushed his face against the tree-trimming trailer. The second man grabbed a pole saw and hit the foreman on the back of his head, injuring him.

The men then drove off northbound on Canyon Way, toward central Colfax, with one sitting on the back of the truck to obscure its license plate.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking for assistance identifying the suspects in the assault. Placer County dispatchers can be reached at 530-886-5375.