Dispute over a parking spot between neighbors leads to hate crime arrest in Marin County

Novato police arrested a resident on suspicion of a hate crime after an alleged argument with a neighbor.

The incident happened at about 1 p.m. Tuesday, when police received a report about a dispute about a parking space on Olive Avenue. Police allege that Douglas Shannon, 64, threatened to report his neighbor to authorities about being in the country illegally, an assumption based on the person’s race. The neighbor also alleged that Shannon threatened to shoot him.

Police learned that Shannon owns a registered gun, and he surrendered it.

“The firearm was not used during this incident and was taken to ensure the safety of the involved parties,” the Novato Police Department said in a statement. “Officers later obtained an court order, more commonly known as a Gun Violence Restraining Order, to prohibit Shannon from possessing firearms temporarily as a result of this incident.”

Shannon was booked into the Marin County Jail on the hate crime allegation and released on bail, sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Brovelli said Wednesday. Shannon, reached by phone, declined to comment.