Texas man sentenced to 25 years in jail after slashing attack on Asian family he blamed for Covid pandemic
A Texas man who attacked an Asian family he believed to be “responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic" was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison on hate crime charges, the Justice Department announced.
A Texas man who attacked an Asian family he believed to be "Chinese and therefore responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic," was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison on hate crime charges, the Department of Justice announced.
Jose Gomez III, 21, of Midland Texas had pleaded guilty to three counts of committing a hate crime in February in connection with slashing a customer, their 6-year-old child and a Sam’s Club employee on March 14, 2020.
In the attack, Gomez had entered the store behind an Asian family with young children. He followed them in the store for several minutes claiming he perceived them to be a “threat” as they were “from the country who started spreading that disease around," the Justice Department said in a release.
New data shows rise in anti-Asian attacksMay 6, 202101:36He then found a serrated steak knife in the store and bent it so that it rested against his knuckles with the sharp edge facing outward.
Armed, he returned to that family and punched the father in the face, cutting him, prosecutors said.
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