Slur-spewing woman pleads guilty to assault after nearly running down Black families at bakery

On Wednesday, Boston.com reported that Rhonda Wozniak, a woman from Lynn, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to eight counts of civil rights violations and assault with a dangerous weapon, from an incident last year in which she aimed her car at Black families outside a bakery while screaming racial slurs.

"On July 28, 2020, three Black women and their five children, ages 5 to 12, were headed toward their cars after they were at The Cookie Monstah on Paradise Road in Swampscott, the release said," reported Arianna MacNeill. "'Suddenly, Wozniak, who is white, came speeding toward them in her motor vehicle, nearly hitting them,' the release said. 'When one of the women asked her to slow down, she shouted racial insults and slurs at them and told them to go back where they belong. One of the children asked their mother, 'Where do we belong?''"

The original arraignment on the charges occurred in September of last year. According to the report, Wozniak avoids jail time as part of the plea agreement in return for nine months of probation and 40 hours community service.

This comes amid FBI reports that hate crimes have reached their highest level in the United States in more than a decade.