A Massachusetts police department is searching for a group of men who threw a hatchet at an eighth-grader while yelling racial slurs.

The 14-year-old was getting off a school bus on Tuesday, June 5, when masked men in a jeep threw a hatchet, narrowly missing the boy’s head, according to 7 News.

“It went right past his head. He ducked back,” his mother said to the station. “It landed right in front of him.”

Police officers have not been able to locate the men or the hatchet and said they would increase police patrols around the bus stop.

North Brookfield Police Chief Mark Smith condemned the act.

“There’s no reason for those words to have been said,” Smith said. “I can’t look at it any other way than a hate crime.”

hatchet thrown at black boy

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week