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John Sullivan, 77, was charged on Wednesday, Feb. 15, with violating the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.
Police were called to 40 Washington Street in Quincy just before 11 a.m. on Dec. 2 after Sullivan allegedly drove into George Ngo, causing the man to fall onto the hood of his car, police said. After Ngo fell off, Sullivan is accused of yelling a racial slur before crashing into him again and knocking him into a 10 to 15-foot pit at a construction site, authorities said.
The two had gotten into an argument after Sullivan allegedly sped past Ngo on his way to the post office, police said.
US Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said in a news release about the federal charges that "hate has no place in Massachusetts."
“As this case demonstrates, we will aggressively prosecute hate crimes and other civil-rights offenses committed because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin of any individual or group," she said.
Sullivan faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted of a hate crime, authorities said.
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