HIALEAH, Fla. – Prosecutors say they’re pursuing hate crime charges against a South Florida doctor accused of attacking a Hispanic man at a supermarket in Hialeah.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced Monday that her office is charging Dr. Jennifer Susan Wright with battery with prejudice and two other counts.
Recommended Videos
Officials say Wright became angry Jan. 20 in the checkout line inside a Publix after the victim asked her to keep her distance because of COVID-19.
Police said the man made the request in Spanish and then repeated it in English when Wright ignored him.
According to her arrest report, the man was then loading his groceries in his car when Wright came up behind him in the parking lot and then got within 1 foot of his face.
The victim told officers that he asked Wright again to not be so close to him, which enraged her.
Below are some of the comments Wright made to the victim, according to the arrest report:
“You f***ing spic.”
“You piece of s***.”
“We should have gotten rid of you when we could.”
“We should have burned you all.”
“This is not going to be your Biden’s America. This is my America.”
“This is my country, and we are going to get rid of every single one of you.”
According to the arrest report, Wright also scratched the victim’s car with her keys as the victim repeatedly told her to stay away from his vehicle.
She also stabbed the car with her keys while telling the victim that he needed to go back to his country, the report stated.
Police said Wright caused $567.64 worth of damage to the trunk of the victim’s car, and the rear passenger-side door.
According to the arrest report, the incident didn’t stop there and Wright punched the victim in the face as he took out his phone to call 911.
Police said she also stomped on the phone after it fell to the ground in an attempt to prevent the victim from calling authorities.
Police said she then fled in a green Jeep Wrangler.
The doctor’s attorney issued a statement after her arrest calling the matter an “ugly attack” filled with “lies and twisted information to fit someone else’s political agenda.”
In another statement released Tuesday to Local 10 News, attorney Carlos F. Gonzalez said “We are surprised that the State of Florida would look to try this case in the public especially before providing the defense with all the evidence it has purportedly gathered. We are even more concerned that the State Attorney’s statements may be calculated to influence potential jurors in this case. Our client has received numerous threats of violence in connection with this case and we hope that the State Attorney’s comments are not seen as permission by some to act on those threats.”