Hate crime charges filed for assault on Asian American

CINCINNATI (AP) — An Ohio man has been charged with a federal hate crime after he allegedly verbally and physically assaulted an Asian American student at the University of Cincinnati last year. Federal prosecutors say 26-year-old Darrin Johnson was arrested Thursday following his indictment by a federal grand jury. Prosecutors say Johnson attacked the victim physically after yelling racially charged comments at him in connection with the COVID-19 virus. Prosecutors say Johnson punched the victim in the head, causing him to fall and hit his head on a car bumper. In a news release Sunday, prosecutors noted that Johnson pleaded guilty last year to assault and criminal intimidation and was sentenced to nearly a year in jail.