Man accused of stabbing Asian family could face FBI hate crime charge
04/02/2020 11:58 am PDT
via KCPQ:
MIDLAND, Texas (KCPQ) -- A man who allegedly tried to kill an Asian family inside a Texas supermarket last month to prevent them from spreading the coronavirus could be charged by the FBI for a hate crime, according to reports.
Jose L. Gomez, 19, is accused of stabbing three people inside a Sam's Club in Midland on March 14. He allegedly approached an Asian family of four, stabbing three of them, including a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old child, according to an arrest report obtained by Midland Reporter-Telegram.
“The suspect indicated that he stabbed the family because he thought the family was Chinese, and infecting people with coronavirus,” a new FBI analysis report said. The case is now being investigated by the federal law enforcement agency as a hate crime.
TRUE CRIME DAILY: Coronavirus-related crime coverage - TCD
A store employee intervened, tackling Gomez to the ground. The employee was stabbed in the leg and cut on the hand while the two struggled for the knife. An off-duty Border Patrol agent who came to shop for groceries detained Gomez before Midland police officers arrived.
Gomez was initially charged with three counts of attempted capital murder, and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Reporter-Telegram. He was held on four separate bail bonds, totaling $1 million.
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