Jordan Patrick Leahy, 29, was found guilty by a federal jury in Tampa on Wednesday of one count of unlawfully interfering with a federally protected activity, namely driving on the road. The conviction comes as a double blow for Leahy because the man he attacked was a trained mixed martial artist who easily subdued his attacker and held him in a choke hold until authorities arrived. “Across America, families should be able to walk freely on our public streets without fear of being attacked because of race,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark said in a news release. “This verdict should send a strong message that the Department of Justice remains firmly committed to prosecuting, to the fullest extent of the law, those who would use violence to enforce reprehensible racist beliefs.” Leahy was charged in late April this year with two counts of violating federal “use of violence and threat of violence” charges for “intentionally intimidating” his victim, identified in court documents only as JT, and “attempting to injure, intimidate and interferes’ with him because of his ‘race and colour’. One of the charges (and the one for which he was convicted) also alleged that the defendant used a “dangerous weapon”, his vehicle, to attack JT. The underlying incident occurred on August 8, 2021, and is documented in the administration’s response to Leahy’s motion to dismiss. As the Black family drove home from dinner, Leahy “zoomed” by JT’s car, hung out his window and made hand gestures, a government filing states. “While making the gestures, Leahy yelled racial slurs at JT and then pulled into JT’s lane,” the court document states. “When JT attempted to escape by driving away, Leahy aggressively swerved JT, then pulled alongside JT again and aggressively swerved into JT’s lane, forcing JT into a turn lane. As he did so, Leahy’s car sideswiped JT’s car. The vehicles did not fully collide, but Leahy’s driver’s side mirror did hit JT’s passenger side mirror.” Leahy then left. The Black driver, however, realized he had been the victim of a hit and run and intended to get his assailant’s license plate and photograph it to report the incident to the police. After catching up to defendant at an intersection, JT used his cell phone to take a photo of the license plate. Leahy then got out of his car and “aggressively” rear-ended JT’s vehicle, the motion says. JT was concerned that Leahy might have a gun and told his girlfriend to call the police while he got out of the vehicle to protect his family. In detail the government proposal what happened next: JT then got out of his car, intending to direct any fire away from JT’s girlfriend and daughter. The two met next to Leahy’s car. When they did, Leahy was the aggressor: he would say something to the effect of: “Fuck you, [n-word]”, Leahy tried to hit JT with a closed fist. JT, a martial artist, slipped Leahy’s jab and punched Leahy twice. JT then caught Leahy in a leg choke until Leahy was briefly passed out, and held Leahy down until Pinellas County deputies arrived. When deputies arrived on the scene, Leahy made several statements to suggest he was motivated by anti-Black bigotry, telling law enforcement that black people should be kept “in their area,” the U.S. Justice Department noted in the news release. of for sentencing. “No one should be targeted, threatened, intimidated or attacked because of their race,” said US Attorney Roger Handberg. “The defendant in this case acted on his fanatical beliefs and put his entire family and the safety of others at risk. We and our local, state and federal law enforcement partners will not tolerate such behavior in our community.” Leahy faces up to ten years in federal prison. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. [image via Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office] Do you have a tip we should know? [email protected]
