Man convicted of battery, hate crime against Asian-American officer

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A San Diego man who punched an Asian American police officer and shouted racial slurs at him pleaded guilty Wednesday to battery on a peace officer and a hate crime allegation.

John Richards, 68, was immediately sentenced to one year of probation and 141 days of confinement, 60 of which were spent in an inpatient residential treatment program, according to the San Diego City Attorney's Office.

Richards was being taken to the hospital on Aug. 26, 2022, when he “began hurling racial slurs at an Asian American police officer, while shouting that the officer should have been killed,” the district attorney’s office said from the city.

Subscribe

He then punched the officer and tried to kick him, according to the city attorney's office, which highlighted the incident as an example of a growing trend of hate crimes against Asian Americans in the time.

“Our country has witnessed an unacceptable level of anti-Asian hate crimes, which is why we are committed to responding forcefully to every local incident,” San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott said in a statement. “This officer was simply doing his job when he was attacked because of his Asian ancestry. We all have an obligation to confront racial hatred when we see it.”

— City press service