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DOJ: Florida man charged with hate crimes for 'racially-motivated' attack against Black driver

Prosecutors say he gave a Nazi salute and punched the driver.

TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa-based federal grand jury indicted a Riverview man for hate crimes in what the Department of Justice described as a "racially-motivated' attack on Black driver in Seminole.

The grand jury returned a two-count hate crime indictment against 29-year-old Jordan Patrick Leahy for a case of road rage that prosecutors say happened along a public road on Aug. 8, 2021.

The DOJ says the indictment claims Leahy "willfully intimidated and interfered" with a Black man and attempted to "injure" him using his car because of the man's race. Prosecutors say the victim's girlfriend and daughter were in the car during the situation.

A previously-released arrest affidavit said it happened around 10 p.m. near Bryan Dairy Road and Starkey Road. 

At the time, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said Leahy sideswiped the Black driver and began using the Nazi salute while pretending to shoot him. Investigators say Leahy also got out of his car and punched the driver in the chest before being subdued by the man.

When law enforcement arrived, investigators say Leahy told deputies he "got out, threw the Nazi salute and wanted to fight a random colored person."

While in custody, the affidavit said he later told authorities he wanted to commit a mass shooting of 70 to 80 people before taking his own life. He added that he was "a sheltered white citizen and society needs to be concerned about how easily he can conduct a mass shooting," the affidavit added.

If convicted, Leahy could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, along with three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

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