San Bruno police accused a youth of threatening a person who was praying in a shopping center parking lot on Saturday.
The victim said he was praying outside his car in the parking lot on El Camino Real around 2:40 p.m. when someone approached him brandishing a knife, police said.
The victim, who identified himself as Middle Eastern/Afghan, said the person with the knife threatened to kill him and made derogatory comments about his ethnicity.
The suspect fled in a car, leaving the victim unharmed. Police found the vehicle and arrested the driver, a 17-year-old identified by the victim.
The teen was being held on charges related to committing a hate crime, brandishing a deadly weapon and making criminal threats, police said.
Anyone with information about this crime is urged to contact the San Bruno Police Department at 650-616-7100 or sbpdtipline@sanbruno.ca.gov.
