Hate Charge In Beating Of Black Man In Bay City
BAY CITY (WWJ/AP) - A white Bay City man has been charged with committing a hate crime, accused of the racially motivated beating of a black man.
Justin Bouza, 24, was due in court Thursday for a preliminary examination to decide if he should stand trial on charges of ethnic intimidation and aggravated assault. The intimidation charge, a felony, carries up to two years in prison.
Mlive.com reports that authorities said Bouza and a 21-year-old accomplice attacked 26-year-old Jeremy Love about 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 12.
Police said they found Love lying on the ground, bleeding and groggy. He was treated for a concussion and a hairline fracture to the bridge of his nose.
Witnesses told police Bouza and his companion had used racial slurs while punching kicking and spitting on Love while he was on the ground. Witnesses said Bouza and the other man fled on foot before police arrived.
Love later picked Bouza out of a photo lineup.
Bouza remained jailed Thursday.
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