An African American woman who attacked an old Mexican man with a brick while he was walking down the street in the city of Los Angeles last year was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Thursday . The attack was considered a hate crime by U.S. authorities.
30-year-old Laquisha Jones
was charged with felony elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon. She did not refuse the charges against her.
The victim, 91-year-old Rodolfo Rodríguez (now 92) , was attacked during his daily walk in Willowbrook, southern Los Angeles , on the afternoon of July 4, 2018 .
While walking past Jones and her daughter, the Hispanic fell victim to the woman’s wrath. She immediately began insulting him, knocked him down, and then attacked him with a brick while shouting racist slurs.
The elder U.S. citizen was seen sprawled on the sidewalk with injuries to his face and several broken ribs before being assisted by a pedestrian.
The case came to light after a video recorded by a local neighbor who witnessed the event went viral on social media. Rodríguez, who ended up with a broken jaw after the attack, has claimed several times that he had done absolutely nothing to provoke Jones.
The witness, who managed to take a picture of Jones holding a brick, told that the woman yelled at the old man: “Go back to your country, go back to Mexico!”
Thanks to the picture, the police arrested Jones shortly after. The bail was set at USD$1.25 million for Jones , who faced a maximum sentence of 29 years.
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