According to the Associated Press, an Ohio man has been charged with a federal hate crime for an alleged assault against an Asian-American college student in Cincinnati last year.
"Darrin Johnson, 26, of Cincinnati was arrested Thursday following his indictment by a federal grand jury, the U.S. attorney’s office in the southern district of Ohio said in a news release," said the report. "The victim was preparing to go for a run on a campus street in August 2021 when Johnson began yelling racial comments and threats at him, federal prosecutors said. Referring to COVID-19, he yelled, 'Go back to your country. … You brought the kung flu here. … You’re going to die for bringing it,' prosecutors said."
"The indictment alleges that Johnson then punched the victim on the side of the head, causing him to fall and hit his head on the bumper of a parked car. The victim had a minor concussion and cuts to his face, prosecutors said," said the report. "Arrested in a parking lot near a recreation center, Johnson pleaded guilty in municipal court in October 2021 to misdemeanor assault and criminal intimidation, and was sentenced to nearly a year in a county jail, federal prosecutors said." According to the report, a federal public defender representing Johnson has yet to comment on the new charge.
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a wave of hate crime attacks against Asian-Americans, with the assailants wrongly blaming anyone resembling Asian descent for infecting the U.S. with the virus. While the first reported human infections occurred in the Chinese city of Wuhan, evidence shows that the first major outbreak of the virus in the U.S. actually came from Europe.
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Other high-profile cases include a Florida woman who pepper-sprayed Asian women in New York City. Another such string of attacks in San Francisco earlier this year went largely uninvestigated by local authorities, which played a significant role in the successful drive to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin from office.
President Joe Biden signed legislation last year toughening federal hate crime laws, with a particular focus on the attacks on Asian-Americans. Among other things, the bill streamlined hate crime reporting, designated a Justice Department official to review COVID-motivated attacks, and authorized grants to local officials to crack down on the incidents.
