NextSharkNextShark.com

Suspects in attack of Chinese PhD student at UW-Madison not charged with hate crimes

Suspects in attack of Chinese PhD student at UW-Madison not charged with hate crimes

Suspects accused of attacking a Chinese doctorate student with the University of Wisconsin-Madison have not been charged with hate crimes.

August 26, 2022
SHARE
A group of teen suspects accused of brutally attacking a Chinese doctorate student with the University of Wisconsin-Madison in June have not been charged with hate crimes.
The 26-year-old victim, who suffered minor injuries, recalled his traumatic experience along University Avenue on the night of June 14 in a Weibo post. He described coming across a group of men who surrounded him, struck him in the face, shoved him to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked him.
View post on Twitter
Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident, as well as other similar cases involving White and Hispanic victims. Save for their alleged 15-year-old accomplice, Alijah C. Johnson, 19;, Cashius E. Carter, 18;, and Abdoulah C. Traore-Flores, 17, have all been charged with multiple counts of battery and disorderly conduct — all misdemeanors.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter

A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.

Carter has also been charged with one count of criminal damage to property. The trio, who were all listed as African Americans on court records, pleaded not guilty to their charges during a court appearance on Aug. 18.
A surveillance image of the suspects shows two of them holding what appears to be bananas. Image via Madison Police Department
The group is also accused of targeting another Chinese student — an undergraduate — before attacking the Ph.D. student. The victim claimed that a group of people repeatedly threw bananas at him, causing injuries.
The attacks against the pair of Chinese students convinced the university’s Asian American community that they were racially motivated. However, campus police and officials are not investigating the incidents as potential hate crimes, since the group is also accused of attacking White and Hispanic victims two days earlier.
Up to 200 people – many of them Asian students at UW-Madison – have protested against the university’s treatment of the cases, but to no apparent avail. Just weeks after the incidents involving the same group, a man reportedly targeted an Asian staff member with racial slurs.
The trio of suspects are scheduled for a pre-trial conference on Oct. 3. As of press time, it’s unknown whether the 15-year-old suspect will face any charges related to the attacks.
 
Featured Image via Weibo (left) and Madison Police Department (right)
MOST READ
    HAPPENING NOW
      Carl Samson

      Carl Samson is a Senior Editor for NextShark

      SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

      RELATED STORIES FROM NEXTSHARK

      Support
      NextShark's
      Journalism

      Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.

      Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.

      We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.

      © 2023 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.