Las Vegas man charged for attacking Asian senior to undergo mental health evaluation
By Carl Samson
The man charged with hate crimes for the attack on his 75-year-old Asian American neighbor has been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.
Judge’s order: Christian Lentz, 44, is facing charges of residential burglary and elder abuse, both as hate crimes, for the assault of Amadeo Quindara, a Filipino American, in the latter’s home in Mountains Edge on May 30.
At a hearing on Monday, Lentz’s attorney appeared on his behalf and filed a request for a competency evaluation. Justice of the Peace Pro Tempore Andrew Wong granted the request.
“It does appear that there might be some competency concerns in this case,” Wong said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Why the request was made: Why Lentz’s attorney requested a competency evaluation is unclear. However, an arrest report stated that Lentz often went off-course while talking to police.
He also claimed to have had odd experiences days before the incident and believed that people were “conspiring against him,” as per KSNV.
In an earlier interview, Quindara told the Las Vegas Review-Journal about a negative interaction with Lentz the day prior, when the latter allegedly demanded that Quindara and his wife Leonida speak in English while they were talking to other Filipino neighbors.
The allegations: Quindara was in his garage when Lentz allegedly approached and attacked him. Security footage shows a man — believed to be Lentz — initially leaving the garage before returning around half an hour later to beat up the senior.
The attacker allegedly yelled racial slurs and told Quindara to “be on a ventilator” and “die.” Quindara suffered a black eye, bruises to his face and deep cuts on his head.
The incident sparked a “Stop Asian Hate” rally at Clark County Government Center on Thursday. Quindara attended the event.
What’s next: Lentz was previously released on bail and ordered to stay away from Quindara. His competency hearing is scheduled for July 21.
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