A white Ohio man was met with a slew of consequences, including eviction, after going on a racist tirade in a now-viral video.
James Rhodes of Stow, Ohio, was arrested and charged with aggravated menacing with ethnic intimidation after footage captured him telling Kiauna Larkins, a Black woman, that he had an AK-47 in his car and that he’d “blow [her] f-cking head off.” The exchange took place on Saturday, April 17, at an apartment complex, and Rhodes was arrested that following Tuesday.
The incident allegedly began when Larkins, a DoorDash driver, was delivering an order at Wyndham Ridge Apartments when Rhodes verbally attacked her; she was with her 3-year-old child at the time. Larkins was behind the 53-year-old at a stop sign and drove around his vehicle because it had been standing at the sign for some time. In the clip captured by the victim, Rhodes is seen getting out of his car before proceeding to go on a racist, expletive-filled rant.
“Hey, get the f-ck out of here,” Rhodes yelled. “Get the f-ck out of here. I pay a thousand dollars a month here. You make a thousand dollars in two months. F-ck you.”
“How do you know that?” Larkins asked. Rhodes then gives her the middle finger before replying, “You’re a dumb Black f-cking n-gger b-tch. F-ck you!”
When Larkins tried to ask Rhodes for his name, he replied, “Yeah. And I’m racist, and I’m a racist motherf-cker.” He added, “I got an AK-47 right now in my f-cking goddamn car. I’ll blow your f-cking head off. I’m f-cking tired of you n-ggers. I’m tired of you n-ggers.”
In other video clips, witnesses nearby could be heard attempting to defend Larkins. “You don’t call her names because you’re pissed,” one woman yelled at Rhodes after she got out of her car. When she told him that he was a racist, Rhodes responded, “Yeah, I am. … I’m tired of this sh-t in this country. … F-ck you and everybody that looks like you.”
Local station ABC News 5 reported that one video it was provided shows a witness asking someone to call police and Rhodes responding, “What are they — going to come arrest me?”
Toward the end, Larkins shockingly just laughs and drives away.
Just three days following the confrontation, Wyndham Ridge Apartments — where Rhodes lived — released a lengthy statement on social media stating that it did “not tolerate or condone any kind of racist, threatening language and overt threats of violence.”
“On Monday, April 19, Wyndham Ridge served the resident with a notice to leave the premises, and he has agreed to move,” management revealed in the post. “We are committed to creating a safe, secure and inclusive environment at Wyndham Ridge, and we will continue to take proactive steps to resolve the situation.”
Rhodes attempted to justify his actions, Stow police said. The disgruntled man said he let his anger get the best of him and was only “slightly remorseful.” Rhodes also claimed that he didn’t actually own any weapons. However, authorities have yet to confirm this information.
Rhodes reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was released after posting a $10,000 bond.
