A Cincinnati man is facing assault and ethnic intimidation charges after allegedly attacking a University of Cincinnati (UC) student earlier this week.
What happened: Darrin Johnson, 24, was accused of punching a male victim in the 200 block of Calhoun Street on Tuesday. It is unclear what led to the assault, but court records say Johnson wanted to harm the victim because of his race.
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- Before punching the unidentified victim, Johnson allegedly said, “You’re going to die for bringing the kung flu here.” The victim reportedly suffered visible injuries.
- Aashja Raval, co-president of UC’s United Asian Advocates, told WXIX that such attacks are more common than people think. The group is demanding for a racial bias reporting tool students can use.
- “There have been multiple instances,” Raval told WXIX. “There was another student who had been assaulted on the same street. There was also an incident that happened with all of us in a Zoom call. People joined the Zoom call and yelled racial slurs at us.”
Not guilty plea: Johnson appeared in court on Wednesday. He entered a not guilty plea.
- Police said they caught up to Johnson following the assault. He tried to run away but was arrested in the parking lot of the Corryville Rec Center, according to WKRC.
Featured Image via Cincinnati Police Department (left) and Komronbek Rakhimov (right)
