A Massachusetts driver has been charged with a federal hate crime for allegedly hit and seriously injure a man with his car in a racist attack last December, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Boston, accuses the driver, John Sullivan, 77, of intentionally hitting George Ngo, 38, in Quincy. It alleges that Sullivan “willfully caused bodily harm” to Ngo, who is referred to only by his initials in the document, and attempted to cause bodily harm by using “a dangerous weapon,” his car, because of the ” Ngo’s real and perceived”. race and national origin”.
Ngo, who is Vietnamese, was hospitalized for weeks after the attack, which the man’s sister and niece witnessed. CBS Boston reported Prosecutors say Sullivan struck Ngo several times with his car, accelerating to target the man after they briefly exchanged words about Sullivan speeding, according to the news station. Sullivan allegedly yelled racist comments to Ngo and his family in the middle of the ambush, including comments about how the victim is Asian. He allegedly told the family to “Go back to China.”
While recovering from injuries sustained in the car crash, Ngo told CBS Boston that he remembered Sullivan saying “I’m going to kill you” before speeding up and hitting him twice. The first time he was hit by Sullivan’s car, Ngo said he held on to the vehicle and believed that if he hadn’t held on, “I would have been run over,” according to the station. Sullivan is accused of hitting Ngo a second time after the victim let go and fell to the ground.
CBS Boston
“I’m scared to go out looking at other people and I don’t know who’s going to do it again,” Ngo told CBS Boston last month. “I never saw anyone like that. I lived here for over 30 years and we are all the same human beings, we shouldn’t treat people like that.”
In addition to the federal indictment filed this week, Sullivan also faces a number of state charges of civil rights violation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a ‘a personal injury accident.
“Hate has no place here in Massachusetts. As this case demonstrates, we will aggressively prosecute hate crimes and other civil rights crimes committed because of actual race, color, religion, or national origin or perceived by any individual or group,” he said. US Attorney Rachael Rollins in a statement.
The federal charge against Sullivan carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
“Our thoughts are with the victim and his family at this time,” Rollins’ statement continued. “Mr. Sullivan’s alleged violent and hateful behavior is reprehensible and we intend to hold him accountable.”
