A sex offender was taken into custody on Monday for multiple charges, including a hate crime, following an incident at a California park. The arrest was made after he reportedly shouted racial slurs and made violent threats towards individuals of Middle Eastern descent.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office revealed that 33-year-old Robert Avery, who is of white ethnicity, was apprehended on two felony charges and a hate crime allegation. On the preceding evening, according to reports from concerned 911 callers, Avery had directed racial slurs at people of Middle Eastern origin who were enjoying Heron Landing Park in Rancho Cordova. His disturbing actions escalated as he allegedly threatened to “shoot and bomb” them. The incident took place in Rancho Cordova, situated approximately 15 miles east of Sacramento.
Additional reports from witnesses disclosed that Avery also attempted to harm individuals by driving a 2012 Honda Insight in a reckless manner within the park. Despite the distressing nature of the incident, fortunately, no one sustained injuries. The sheriff’s office confirmed that substantial evidence, including witness testimonies and video footage, aided in the identification of Robert Avery as the prime suspect.
It was revealed through California’s online sex offender registry that Avery had previously been involved in an incident concerning a child under the age of 18. Details about whether he had served a jail sentence for this offense were not immediately available.
Authorities acted promptly and took Avery into custody on Monday morning. He resides in Orangevale, a census-designated area situated around 10 miles northeast of Rancho Cordova. Avery voluntarily surrendered himself to law enforcement, facilitated by his family, roughly 12 hours after the incident was reported.
Subsequent to his arrest, Avery was confined to the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he was booked shortly after noon on Monday. Online jail records confirmed that he is being held on $125,000 bail. The charges levied against him encompass a misdemeanor hate crime and two felonies—assault with a deadly weapon and making a criminal threat.
The potential legal repercussions Avery might face if convicted of these charges remain unclear, as does the information regarding his legal representation. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office was not immediately reachable for comment at the time of this writing.
The investigation is ongoing, and the incident report requested from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has not yet been provided. A court appearance for Avery has been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Reflecting on the incident, Omar Altamimi, the policy and advocacy coordinator for the Sacramento Valley/Central California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), expressed a mixture of disappointment and lack of surprise. He highlighted the troubling trend of increasing hate crimes and emphasized the importance of staying vigilant and cautious.
In 2021, federal data revealed over 130 reported anti-Islamic incidents classified as hate crimes, with the majority of these instances attributed to individuals of white ethnicity. Hate crime reports in California saw a 20% surge from 2021 to 2022, according to the state Attorney General’s Office, which reported a rise in anti-Islamic bias crimes during this period.
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This incident serves as a reminder of the challenges society continues to face in combating hate crimes and fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all individuals, regardless of their background.
