Police: Indiana University student shouted "white power" before attacking Muslim
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- An Indiana University student allegedly shouted "white power" and "kill them all" before attacking a Muslim woman who was sitting at a cafe with her 9-year-old daughter, reports CBS affiliate WTTV.
Police in Bloomington, Ind., say Triceton Bickford, 19, grabbed the victim by her neck during the Saturday evening attack, and slammed her head on a table, before trying to remove her headscarf.
The woman's husband saw what was going on and he rushed to her aid along with another man, according to police.
They successfully pinned Bickford to the ground and waited for police to arrive. The men told police that while they were waiting, Bickford spit into their faces and continued making threats.
When police took Bickford into custody, he allegedly kicked the patrol car's windows. He then allegedly bit an officer's leg while being processed at the Monroe County Jail.
Bickford was charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery, and one count each of intimidation, public intoxication, felony-level battery, minor consumption of alcohol and strangulation.
Bickford's bond was set at $2,000 surety, $500 cash.
The FBI told WTTV that it is investigating, and has not yet determined if it will pursue a federal civil rights charges in relation to the incident.
In a statement, Indiana University called the incident "horrifying."
"This type of abhorrent behavior is not representative of our students, nor of the culture of inclusion and tolerance so many people at the university and in the Bloomington community have worked so hard to foster," the University said in its statement.