A 64-year-old Texas man is facing felony charges for allegedly attempting to run his neighbor over with a car while shouting racial slurs.
Jesse Ruffer was charged with felony aggravated assault following an incident on June 16 in a west Houston neighborhood.
The victim, Blaine McShall, said he was walking down a street that day, and when he stepped off the sidewalk to avoid a puddle, Ruffer “swerved really close” to him.
McShall, a Marine veteran, added that Ruffer also hurled racial slurs at him.
“What he said was, ‘If you want to walk in the street like a n—r, I’ll run you down like a n—r,'” McShall told KTRK. “And of course, that was surprising.”
McShall said nothing in return, only called the police afterward.
“I was just more taken aback by the fact that he actually said that after trying to literally run me over in a car,” McShall said. “I would just want him to know this is unacceptable.”
During Ruffer’s bond hearing, the prosecutor requested his bail be set at $51,000, accusing him of using his car as a deadly weapon and also citing a previous arrest warrant for a terroristic threat charge.
In 2022, Ruffer allegedly called his Arab neighbor a terrorist and threatened to kill both the neighbor and the man’s dog, KTRK reported. Court records obtained by ABC News revealed he was released on a general order bond in that case.
“This is indicative of his violent propensity,” prosecutor Christine Huang told the court.
Ruffer’s defense attorney requested a $15,000 bond.
The judge set Ruffer’s bond at $20,000 and ordered him to remain in the Houston area, not contact McShall, and stay at least 200 feet away from McShall’s home and workplace.
If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
