Man Charged With Hate Crimes After Kicking, Spewing Racial Slurs at Asian Woman in Portland
A man in Portland, Oregon has been charged with bias crimes after allegedly kicking and racially attacking an Asian American woman last week. The incident, which left the victim with “some trouble walking,” occurred on a TriMet bus in the area of Southeast 52nd Avenue and Foster Road at 5:45 p.m. on Jan. 22. Peter Eschright, 39, allegedly kicked the victim on both shins as he walked by, according to KPTV. Eschright also allegedly used racial slurs during the encounter, mentioning the coronavirus in regards to the victim’s race and skin color. The victim, who was commuting with her son, did not need to go to an emergency room but had some difficulty walking after the incident. Multnomah County police officers quickly arrested Eschright. However, he was later released to Multnomah County Pretrial Release Services. Eschright has been charged with two counts of first-degree bias crime and one count of fourth-degree felony assault, according to KATU. His bias crimes will be reviewed by the Violent Crimes Unit. Feature Image via Multnomah County Sheriff's Office
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Portland Man Charged With Hate Crimes, Robbery After Attacking Afghan Store Owner
A man in Portland, Oregon is facing bias crime charges after attacking an Afghan American store owner last Friday. The incident, which was caught on camera, occurred inside the 68-year-old victim’s convenience store at a Chevron gas station in Southeast Portland. Brian Christopher Miller, 43, can be seen trashing the store while yelling anti-Muslim slurs in the video. He also threatened to shoot the owner. “I'll f***ing shoot you in the back,” Miller said, according to NBC News. “Is that how we do things in America, Afghan? Al Qaeda? Osama?” Miller reportedly came to the store to buy cigarettes. For no apparent reason, he started berating the owner’s ethnicity and knocking over objects in his direction. The frantic store owner managed to call 911 during Miller’s rampage. Police arrested Miller at the scene for first-degree criminal mischief, as well as third-degree robbery for allegedly stealing some items. Miller was released a few hours later on his own recognizance, much to the dismay of the victim's son. "I believe this was an example of white privilege," he told KOIN 6. "The guy was released less than 24 hours after it happened with just a slap on the wrist. If the roles were reversed, I think the outcome would have been very different." The store owner reportedly left Afghanistan in 1981 when the country was at war with the Soviet Union. The victim's son also told FOX 12 that his father offered the video to Portland police, but the responding officer refused to take it. Miller appeared in court by phone on Monday. Documents show that he entered the store after getting involved in a disturbance in the parking lot. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced later on Monday that bias crime charges will be pressed against him. Miller is now facing three counts of first-degree bias crime, three counts of second-degree bias crime and one count each of first-degree burglary, second-degree burglary, second-degree disorderly conduct, second-degree criminal mischief, second-degree criminal trespass, menacing, third-degree robbery and third-degree theft, according to KGW. Feature Image Screenshots via s h (Left), Multnomah County Jail (Right)
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Man Accused of Running Over Black Man, Using Racial Slurs in Road Rage Incident Faces Murder Charge
Charges have been filed in Massachusetts against a 54-year-old Hudson man who stands accused of killing a 34-year-old Boston man during a violent road rage encounter last week during which the suspect allegedly hurled racial epithets at the victim.
Authorities in Belmont allege that Dean Kapsalis drove his pickup trick over Henry Tapia on the afternoon of Jan. 19, causing fatal injuries.
On Monday, in a statement, the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office announced formal murder charges had been filed against Kapsalis, along with motor vehicle and civil rights charges.
The statement alleges investigators learned from eyewitnesses that "the defendant and the victim were engaged in [a] verbal altercation in the roadway when the defendant," who is white, "began yelling racial slurs at the victim, a Black man."
According to the statement, witnesses reported "hearing the two men arguing before the victim allegedly began to walk back to his vehicle, a Honda Civic. At that time, the defendant allegedly entered his vehicle, a Dodge Dakota pickup truck, and drove it at the victim, striking him by the driver's side of his vehicle and dragging him a short distance before fleeing the scene."
Police arrived at the scene, and broadcast a BOLO alert for Kapsalis' truck. Less than 30 minutes later, Kapsalis "turned himself in to police," says the statement.
According to the Boston Globe, Kapsalis allegedly told investigators Tapia had threatened him with a gun.
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No weapons were recovered from the victim's vehicle, the paper reports.
In addition to murder, Kapsalis is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a civil rights violation causing injury, and leaving the scene of an accident causing death. Not guilty pleas have been entered on his behalf.
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An Oregon man spewing anti-Islamic slurs trashed a convenience store and threatened to gun down its clerk in an ugly confrontation captured on viral video, authorities said Monday.
Brian Christopher Miller, 43, was originally arrested on suspicion of first-degree criminal mischief and third-degree robbery, both felonies, according to Multnomah County Sheriff's Office jail records.
Miller, of Portland, was booked into jail on Friday night before being released on his own recognizance on Saturday, jail records showed.
But by the end of Monday, prosecutors had revised the charges against Miller.
He now faces three counts of a bias crime in the first degree, three counts of a bias crime in the second degree, in addition to burglary, criminal mischief, trespassing, menacing and robbery charges, Mutnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced.
The clerk, a senior citizen and immigrant from Afghanistan, shot video of the incident before his son published it on YouTube, according to Seemab Hussaini, vice chairman of the Oregon chapter of the Council on American–Islamic Relations.
Footage showed a mask-less man bearing a bearing a strong resemblance to Miller toppling displays, damaging the cash register, ripping down Covid-19-protection barriers, throwing food at the clerk and yelling: "I'll f---ing shoot you in the back."
"Is that how we do things in America, Afghan? Al Qaeda? Osama?" the menacing man said. "I don't want your f---ing cigarettes now, dude. But here let's call the the barter system. Five f---ing dollars? You can owe me, you can owe me. You call the f---ing cops. I'm an easy man to find."
And he was, as police arrested Miller just outside the Chevron convenience store, officials said.
By the time he was processed into custody, Miller had lost his shirt and was bare-chested as a jail photographer snapped the booking photograph.
"Mr. Miller arrived (to jail) without a shirt on," Multnomah County Sheriff's Communications Director Chris Liedle said. "During the booking process, he was uncooperative, intoxicated and making threatening, self-harm statements. After completing the booking process, he was provided a protective smock and placed in a cell under watch."
Miller did not return several voice mails and text messages seeking comment on Monday.
The clerk's family is grateful that a female customer outside the store called 911 and a dispatcher worked quickly to get police to the scene, Hussaini said. The attack came two days before the anniversary of the victim's 42-year-old daughter dying suddenly of sepsis, according to Hussaini.
"It's been a very stressful time for him," Hussaini
