Three Philadelphia teenagers allegedly approached a cab on Saturday night and started screaming racial epithets at the passenger. They threw an unidentified liquid at the cab before opening its door, dragging the passenger out, and beating him while spewing racial hate.
The cab driver came out to investigate and the three teens turned their violence on him, reports the Philadelphia Daily News. The passenger was able to escape and the cab driver was able to defend himself with a tire iron, before the three teens were eventually arrested. The teens now could face charges under Pennsylvania hate crime law.
The attacked happened in Center City at a red light at 15th and Chestnut streets, during a relatively early part of the night, 8:00 p.m., reports the Daily News. Police have no idea what motivated the attack, but the cab driver suffered serious injuries. The passenger is still unidentified. Both the cab driver and the passenger are white. The three teen attackers are black.
The attackers were charged with aggravated assault, a crime that carries a possible 20-year prison term. In addition, if the attackers are charged with a hate crime, they could face a criminal penalty that is one degree higher than the original charge. So if the attackers face a class 2 felony charge for assault, that could be upgraded to a class 1 felony charge if it is considered a hate crime.
Generally, to be considered a hate crime, it would only have to be determined that the suspects were motivated in the attack by hatred of the victims’ race, as opposed to a mere random assault.
Three teens were arrested for a vicious beating of a cab driver and his passenger. As the attackers used a barrage of racial epithets, they could face penalties under Pennsylvania hate crime law.
Related Resources:
- Find a Philadelphia Criminal Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
- Hate Crime: The Violence of Intolerance (FindLaw)
- Kevin Kless Beat to Death While Hailing Cab (FindLaw’s Philadelphia Criminal Law News)
- Ask A Question about Criminal Law now (FindLaw Answers)
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