QUINCY − A Quincy resident has been indicted on a federal hate crime charge after police say he yelled “Go back to China” at an Asian family before hitting a man with his car and pushing him into a ditch.
John Sullivan, 77, is accused of repeatedly yelling the phrase before hitting an Asian man with his car, throwing him into a ditch off Washington Street in downtown Quincy. He was charged in Quincy District Court with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a civil rights violation, reckless driving and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash causing personal injury.
On Wednesday, Sullivan was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of violating the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
“Hate has no place here in Massachusetts,” U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. “Confronting hate crimes is a priority of my administration. … “Our thoughts are with the victim and their family at this time. The alleged hate-filled and violent behavior of Mr. Sullivan is reprehensible and we intend to hold him accountable.”
City Councilor-at-Large Nina Liang, the first Asian American to be elected president of the Quincy City Council, said the hate crime charge was “really validating.” She said she has spoken to Rollins and Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey since the incident.
“I’m grateful, but I wish it was something I didn’t have to be grateful for because nobody wins in this situation,” Liang said. “It’s two very conflicting feelings and something I wish we weren’t dealing with at all.”
Police say Sullivan was driving in the area of the Washington Street post office Dec. 2 where he “exchanged words” with pedestrians in the area about the speed at which he drove through the neighborhood, a spokesperson for Morrissey’s office said. He reportedly told one of them, an Asian man, to “Go back to China.”
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