In a disturbing turn of events, two South Carolina men have been charged with hate crimes for allegedly carrying out a series of robberies and assaults on individuals based on their Hispanic identities.
Charles Antonio Clippard, 26, and Michael Joseph Knox, 28, face a total of three hate crime charges, along with carjacking and firearms charges, stemming from a string of attacks that occurred between January 2021 and February 2021.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Clippard and Knox intentionally targeted their victims with the intent to inflict "death and serious bodily harm." In several instances, they were allegedly assisted by other accomplices.
The indictment details a specific incident that took place in January 2021, where Clippard and Knox singled out two individuals while they were shopping at the Supermercado El Mariachi grocery store in Columbia, South Carolina. The suspects allegedly chose their victims, identified only as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 in the indictment, solely based on their race.
After following the victims to their homes, Clippard and Knox reportedly robbed them, taking their cash and cellphones.
The indictment further alleges that the suspects targeted victims based on their perceived Mexican or Hispanic heritage on several occasions. In one instance, they followed a victim, identified as John Doe 3, to his home after encountering him at a gas station and robbed him at gunpoint, stealing his passport, wallet, and car.
On the same day, they allegedly carried out a similar attack on another victim, whom they also identified as Mexican, after following him from another gas station to his residence. The indictment states that the suspects "held [a] firearm to his head" and then "pushed [him] into his residence" before robbing him and "other Hispanic victims" at the location.
If convicted of the hate-crime and carjacking charges, Clippard and Knox could face a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Additionally, they face a minimum sentence of 21 years for the firearms charges, according to the DOJ statement.
It is unclear at this time whether either suspect has retained legal counsel or entered pleas to the charges.
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