A Florida man has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly making "his hand into the shape of a firearm and made a shooting gesture" toward a US Postal Worker near Fort Lauderdale, ripping her hijab off, and punching her in the face.
According to CNN, the alleged attack occurred on October 24 when 47-year-old Kenneth Jerome Pinkney approached an unnamed postal worker as she was walking up to a home to deliver mail.
Pinkney allegedly rode past the woman and made a "shooting gesture" with his hand, and told her to "go back to her country," along with calling her derogatory names.
A probable cause statement said that the postal worker attempted to laugh the comments off, but Pinkney approached her, ripped off her hijab and slapped and punched her in the face.
The worker reportedly bled from her mouth and received scratches to the face.
As the woman attempted to get back into her US Postal Service truck, Pinkney allegedly tried to grab her leg. The woman ripped Pinkney's hand off her and reportedly ripped Pinkney's shirt in the process. She said she was going to call the cops and Pinkney reportedly said he was going to do the same.
Police that responded found that Pinkney "was unable to provide any details regarding the incident without losing track of his story," the affidavit stated.
Pinkney was arrested and charged with battery and "evidencing prejudice while committing an offense" based on his comments about "the victim's ancestry, religion, and national origin," which is a felony hate crime.
Pinkney has reportedly been ordered by the court to undergo a mental health screening.
Paula McMahon, public information officer for Broward State Attorney's Office told CNN in a statement, "Fort Lauderdale Police Department presented their investigative findings in this case to the Broward State Attorney's Office."
On Tuesday, prosecutors formally filed charges of felony battery/hate crime, which McMahon said was a second-degree felony carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in state prison.
As of Wednesday, Pinkney was being held at the Broward County Sheriff's North Broward Bureau jail on $20,000 bond.
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