Florida Man Convicted Of Hate Crime In Attack On Black Motorist Driving His Family
A federal jury in Tampa convicted Jordan Patrick Leahy, 29, for a 2021 racially-motivated attack on a Black motorist on a Florida roadway, the Department of Justice announced on Thursday (Aug. 25).
According to prosecutors, the victim, identified only as J.T., was driving with his daughter and girlfriend when Leahy drove up to J.T.’s vehicle and began hurling racial slurs and threats. At some point, Leahy attempted to force the victim off the road. He pursued the family for nearly a mile and half before sideswiping J.T.’s vehicle. Eventually, the two men confronted each other at a stoplight.
MSN reports that J.T., a mixed-martial artist, put his attacker in a chokehold when Leahy attempted to strike him. While Leahy was unconscious and restrained, the police were called.
Officers from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office arrived, and prosecutors saiy Leahy continued his racist abuse, telling the officers that Black people need to be kept “in their areas.”
“Across America, families must be able to freely travel our public streets without fear of being attacked because of race,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“This verdict should send a strong message that the Department of Justice remains firmly committed to prosecuting, to the fullest extent of the law, those who would use violence to enforce heinous racist beliefs.”
Leahy faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
