A Florida man was indicted on a federal hate crime charge last Thursday after allegedly attacking a driver because of his skin color on the highway in August 2021, prosecutors reported.
The accusation against Jordan Patrick Leahy, of 29 years, was issued by a Tampa federal grand jury, finding that the defendant committed hate crimes for a “racially motivated” attack on his victim and her family, Fox News reported.
The incident occurred on August 8, 2021, after the defendant, who was driving drunk, struck the victim from the side near of an intersection.
The arrest report indicated that Leahy gave a Nazi salute to the victim’s vehicle, whom he had hit, and then pretended to shoot him. Investigators said Leahy got out of his vehicle and struck the driver. The victim’s girlfriend and daughter were in the car at the time.
When police arrived, investigators told them Leahy said he gave the Nazi salute and wanted to fight a person of color randomly, WTSP noted.
The affidavit stated that while in custody, he told officers he wanted to commit a mass shooting of 70 to 80 people before committing suicide. He added that he was a protected white citizen, and that society should be concerned “because of the ease with which he can carry out a mass shooting.”
If convicted, Leahy could receive a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, along with three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 Dollars.
Online records showed that Leahy was booked into a Pinellas County jail last Friday. It has not been determined whether he retained an attorney so that he could speak on his behalf.
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