Wisconsin man charged with hate crime in alleged attack on Asian student

A man has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly attacking an Asian student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison last month.

What happened: Gary J. Stephens Jr., 34, reportedly approached the male student at around 6:45 p.m. on Oct. 16. While the student was holding his phone, Stephens went up to him and slapped it, ultimately damaging it. Stephens also used an anti-Asian slur during the attack, according to campus police.

The student was standing at a bus stop near the Nicholas Recreation Center when the incident occurred, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. As he picked up his phone, Stephens — who was already walking away — returned, assumed a “fighting posture” and asked, “What are you going to do about it?”
Fearing for his safety, the student fled the scene.

The charges: Stephens has been charged with three counts of bail jumping, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct as a hate crime. Stephens’ maximum jail sentence has been extended from 90 days to one year due to the hate crime penalty enhancer.

Officers who had previous contact with Stephens identified him in surveillance videos and images from a local Walgreens store. He was arrested on Oct. 30 on separate charges.
During a court hearing on Wednesday, Stephens’ bail was set at $300, in addition to $600 for unrelated charges. He was also banned from the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, where he has no recorded affiliation.

The Oct. 16 incident was the second University of Wisconsin-Madison incident that targeted an Asian student in recent months. On Sept. 15, Morgan R. Kroll, 37, spat on a female Asian student’s face, an unprovoked attack the victim believes was motivated by racism.

Featured Image via Czar

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