A white male is in police custody after he allegedly drove his car into the direction of a mixed-race couple on April 16.
Police say a woman was hurt when a Metairie man tried to run over an interracial couple. James Descant was arrested on Wednesday and is being held on hate crimes and other charges. Details –> https://t.co/66W26e8sju
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James Descant is being held on a $101,000 bond and faces charges of aggravated second-degree battery, aggravated assault, hate crimes and simple criminal damage to property, according to Fox 8 Live in New Orleans. It remains unclear if he has legal representation.
The couple was walking toward a Birdie's gas station in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, when they ran into the 50-year-old suspect. Per the male victim, Descant told the 32-year-old Black man he would kill him and his 31-year-old white girlfriend.
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Officers from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office (JPSO) said that as the two stood outside Birdie's around 9 p.m., the suspect reportedly swerved his vehicle in the direction of the unidentified couple. The male victim managed to escape without any injuries. However, CNN reports his girlfriend suffered bruises to her right hip, right wrist and left foot.
When asked for a motive behind the attack, a representative for the JPSO said Descant harbors "disdain" for interracial couples. ABC News adds the suspect allegedly used racial slurs to characterize their relationship.
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