Hate crime charges after racial slur attack at Kingston gas station
A 46-year-old Carver man faces hate crime charges after allegedly attacking a Black man at a Cumberland Farms in Kingston, MA, yelling racial slurs unprovoked.
Gary Phillipo II charged with hate crime after assault at Cumberland Farms in Kingston
A 46-year-old man from Carver, Massachusetts, has been charged with a hate crime following an unprovoked racially motivated attack on a Black man at a Cumberland Farms gas station in Kingston, boston.com reports.
Officers from the Kingston Police Department responded to 41 Main St. shortly after 7:30 a.m. last Tuesday after reports of a fight in progress. According to police, the victim was standing at the gas pumps when Gary Phillipo II approached him and began yelling racial slurs without provocation.
Phillipo then allegedly charged at the man, kicking and striking him multiple times. The victim was knocked to the ground and fought back, sustaining several injuries including a suspected compound fracture to a bone. Police determined Phillipo was the primary aggressor following an investigation.
"Other witnesses provided statements appearing to corroborate the [victim's] reports and stating that the suspect was out of control acting irate," Kingston Police said in a release. "The suspect continued to yell racial slurs and act irate in front of the officers."
Phillipo was arrested and taken to the police station, where he complained of injuries and was subsequently transported to a hospital. His behaviour continued there, according to police, who said he "remained irate and continued to disturb the hospital ER room, yelling profanity and racial slurs at officers and staff."
Video footage obtained from Cumberland Farms appeared to corroborate the victim's account of the incident, police said. Phillipo also has a long history of violence, according to the department.
He was arraigned and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery to intimidate resulting in bodily injury — classified as a hate crime — and disturbing the peace. Phillipo remained in custody following his arraignment and is scheduled to return to court next month.
The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the attack and said it welcomed the hate crime charges brought against the alleged perpetrator.
"No one should ever have to fear for their safety or be subjected to brutal violence simply while going about their daily routine," said CAIR-MA Executive Director Tahirah Amatul-Wadud. "The vicious anti-Black racism displayed in this attack is a disturbing reminder of the hate that marginalized communities continue to face."
Source: Google News JM — Kingston