Florida man who assaulted Black family and greeted police with Nazi salute found guilty of federal hate crime
August 25, 2022
A Florida man was found guilty of a federal hate crime on Thursday, according to the Department of Justice. Twenty-nine-year-old Jordan Patrick Leahy was found guilty by a federal jury in Tampa of a racially-motivated attack against a Black man traveling with his family on Aug. 8.
The victim, only identified as J.T., was driving down the road with his wife and child when he came upon Leahy. Leahy called him racial slurs before trying to force his vehicle off the road for nearly one mile.
Leahy eventually fled the scene but after stopping at a red light J.T. pulled up behind him. Leahy then got out of his car and again yelled more racial slurs before punching J.T. in the chest. J.T. overpowered Leahy and placed him in a submission hold.
After police officers from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office arrived, Leahy "threw the Nazi salute" before noting he wanted to fight a random "colored person.” Leahy also told the officers that Black people needed to be kept “in their areas.”
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Leahy later told the officers that he wanted to shoot 60 to 70 people in the face and before killing himself by shooting himself in the neck and called his would-be quest “the most fulfilling thing he would experience in life.”
He will now serve up to 10 years in prison plus three years of supervised release. Leahy also faces a fine of up to $250,000. Assistant Attorney General Clarke said that the verdict should send a strong message that the DOJ is committed to prosecuting violent hate crimes.
“Across America, families must be able to freely travel our public streets without fear of being attacked because of race,” said Clarke. “This verdict should send a strong message that the Department of Justice remains firmly committed to prosecuting, to the fullest extent of the law, those who would use violence to enforce heinous racist beliefs.”
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