Florida prosecutors pursue hate crime charges against doctor accused of attacking Hispanic man
(Miami Dade Corrections)
MIAMI - Florida prosecutors announced Monday that they are pursuing hate crime charges against a South Florida doctor accused of attacking a Hispanic man at a supermarket.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced her office is charging Dr. Jennifer Susan Wright, 58, with felony counts of battery with prejudice, criminal mischief with prejudice and tampering with a victim or witness. Wright was originally arrested last month, several weeks after the attack was reported.
"It is sad that in such a diverse, multi-ethnic community like Miami-Dade County, COVID precautions can trigger such alleged outbursts of ethnic hate," Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "Hate crimes are always meant to demean and intimidate their intended targets."
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While waiting in line at a Hialeah supermarket on Jan. 20, Wright became angered after the victim asked her in Spanish to keep her distance because of COVID-19 guidelines, officials said. Hialeah is a heavily Hispanic suburb of Miami.
Wright ignored the man, so he repeated it in English, according to authorities. She responded by "mumbling bad words," the Miami Herald reported, citing an arrest report. Once outside, Wright walked up to the man in the parking lot, and he asked her to back up, officials said, adding the doctor then uttered racial and other insults against him.
The arrest report said Wright proceeded "to stab the victim’s vehicle with her keys while saying he needed to go back to his country" and then punched and kicked the man. Wright drove away before police could respond. Officials said the attack took place the day President Joe Biden took office.
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According to WFOR in Miami, the man said Wright screamed at him, "We should have gotten rid of you when we could. We should have burned you all. This is not going to be your Biden’s America. This is my America. This is my country. We are going to get rid of every single one of you."
The legal team for Wright released a statement following her arrest.
"We look forward to discrediting this ugly attack against our client that is filled with lies and twisted information to fit someone else’s political agenda," Coral Gables attorney Carlos F. Gonzalez said in the statement.
Wright had been an anesthesiologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Hospital officials announced after her arrest that Wright, who was contracted to work there, was no longer responsible for patient care at the Miami Beach hospital.