QUINCY – Early last month, in broad daylight, a Massachusetts driver named John Sullivan ran his car into an Asian pedestrian. According to eyewitnesses, the attack appears to have been racially motivated.
Thien, the victim, reportedly scolded the 77-year-old Sullivan for driving recklessly with children nearby. Sullivan flew into a rage, shouting racial obscenities at Thien, his sister, and her children. The victim’s sister, Desiree Thien, told reporters that Sullivan had said,
“Go back to China. I’m going to go into the post office and come back out in five minutes. If you’re still here, I’m going to kill all of you.”
Thien was collecting the information from Sullivan’s vehicle as he returned from the post office. Sullivan began to shout slurs before ramming Thien with his car.
“He rammed into my brother. My brother rolled onto the hood and he clung onto the hood. He went for about a good 200 yards, and then he brakes so my brother fell off,” Desiree Said, recounting the incident. “When (my brother) was trying to balance, he hit my brother again, continuing his racial slurs.” After the second strike, Sullivan dumped Thien into a 10 to 15 foot ditch at a construction site and fled the scene. Fortunately, the police were easily able to apprehend Sullivan. He appeared in court last week.
Sullivan was charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a civil rights violation, reckless driving, assault and battery to intimidate with bodily injury, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash causing personal injury. He was released without bail on condition that he wear a GPS at all times and stay with his daughter.
Sullivan will be in court for a pretrial hearing on February 11th of next year.
.https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/12/08/quincy-man-charged-with-hate-crime/
.https://nypost.com/2022/12/04/massachusetts-driver-plows-car-into-man-in-racially-motivated-attack/
.https://www.patriotledger.com/story/news/2022/12/07/dangerousness-hearing-in-alleged-quincy-hate-crime-john-sullivan-moved/69708721007/
