A Louisiana man has been arrested on hate crime charges after police say he tried running over an interracial couple with his truck.
James Descant of the New Orleans suburb of Metairie was taken into custody last week and remains at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on $101,000 bond, FOX 8 New Orleans reported. In addition to hate crimes, he faces charges of aggravated assault, simple criminal damage to property and aggravated second-degree battery.
James Descant, 50, used a racial slur to describe the interracial couple and threatened to kill his victims before the attack, police say. (Photo: Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office)
He was also booked as a fugitive.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office officials said the incident unfolded just after 9 p.m. on April 16 as the couple walked to a Birdie’s convenience store and encountered Descant, 50. The pair told police it wasn’t their first run-in with the suspect.
Earlier in the week, the 32-year-old male victim said Descant threatened to kill him and his 31-year-old girlfriend because he is Black and she is white. JPSO deputies said the suspect has a “disdain” for interracial couples and used a slur to describe their relationship.
As the couple stood outside the service station on the night of Tuesday April 16, Descant allegedly accelerated his truck in their direction, attempting to run them down. The Black man managed to jump out of the way. His girlfriend was hit, however, and suffered injuries to her hip, wrist and foot.
The victim told police he and his girlfriend did nothing to provoke the attack.
Descant was arrested hours later at around 1:30 a.m. on April 17 at a local motel.
