(OAKLAND, Calif.) An Oakland man who allegedly threatened and assaulted an Asian postal worker has been charged with a hate crime by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, East Bay Times reports.
Lamont Demetrius West Verdon, 26, is accused of chasing the postal worker while yelling, “F— you, I’m going to kill you, you f—ing Asian” before he stripped the postal worker of his mailbag and started rifling through it.
Verdon, who police described as an unhoused resident of Oakland, now faces charges including suspicion of a hate crime, illegal drug possession and making criminal threats.
The postal worker managed to get back to his mail truck and called 911. The suspect followed him to his mail truck screaming unintelligibly at him.
Officers responding to the call found Verdon in the area of the attack. Verdon told officers that he had done nothing wrong, according to reports.
Verdon pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Monday and was assigned legal representation. He is being held on $1,000 bail at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City.
A no-contact order has been issued against Verdon regarding the postal worker.