Court to decide if 4 black women beating disabled Army vet, calling her a white b***h is a hate crime
May 17, 2021 | Robert Jonathan | Print Article
It was sadly anything but a happy Mother’s Day for a disabled U.S. Army veteran who was allegedly beaten in a Kentucky supermarket parking lot by a group of women, one of whom purportedly called her a “white b—-,” in what appears to be a hate crime if the victim’s version of events checks out.
Local cops who are investigating what happened seem like they may have passed the buck and say it is up to the court system to determine if the attack was racially motivated that would justify hate crime charges, however, in addition to an assault, in the incident.
According to a noncommital Louisville police spokesman, “We’re gonna collect all the evidence, present it in court and they will decide. A hate crime is an enhancement, in this case, it’s an assault is where we are at at this time. The courts will eventually decide that.”
The Louisville Metro Police Department have thus far issued no further comment in the pending case. The Kentucky hate crime law does apply to felony and misdemeanor assault, and if a judge determines it was the primary factor upon a conviction, a court and the parole board can take into considering in denying probation or parole, respectively. As currently written, it does not add an additional penalty, although state legislators are trying to change that.
The victim, military vet Pamela Ahlstedt-Brown, had finished up her shopping at the Louisville Kroger supermarket when the incident occurred.
In trying to back out of a handicapped parking space, she observed that another car was blocking her.
“I get out and I say, ‘Do you guys need any help?’ and she said, ‘F— you, you white b—-‘. “I said, ‘Hold on, you don’t even know me.’ I said, ‘That’s fine. If you don’t need anything, that’s fine. I’ll get back in the car,'” Ahlstedt-Brown told NBC Louisville affiliate WAVE 3 News in referring to one of the passengers in the other vehicle.
After one of them threw a cup at her, the occupants of that other vehicle, four young black women, allegedly attacked her physically, the news outlet reported.
Some good Samaritans, fortunately, broke up the fight, but not before Ahlstedt-Brown suffered a broken nose in addition to bruises.
“I mean, they were beating me, and I was in a fetal position, covering my face, making sure they didn’t get my eyes,” she recalled.
“I could have been killed, but I know how to protect myself. I mean, I’m a strong person…It doesn’t mean everybody is this strong.” she added, while also alleging that the attackers were trying to knock out her teeth.
The suspects, who were driving a Dodge Charger or Challenger, are apparently still at large. Cops have asked the public’s help in their investigation and encouraged anyone with information to call the local anonymous tip line.
“Ahlstedt-Brown, whose husband is Black and children are bi-racial, expressed concern that race played a role in the incident and that it could happen to someone else if the alleged assailants aren’t caught,” Fox News reported.
“They were beating me, and I was in a fetal position, covering my face, making sure they didn’t get my eyes,” Pamela Ahlstedt-Brown told WAVE 3 News. https://t.co/GQAH30DGUiCops have not been helpful, so far, in releasing Kroger security footage, however, Brown’s family indicated.
— wave3news (@wave3news) May 13, 2021
The vet has been experiencing anxiety and nightmares since the incident but is grateful that she was able to safely reunite with her family.
“It’s hard for us because we all feel like, well what if we would have been there? It makes you feel helpless,” Edward, Brown’s husband, told WAVE 3. “It was terrible for them and for me to have their mom come home in that condition.”
Staff Writer
Robert@bizpacreview.com
Robert Jonathan is a staff writer for BizPac Review. He is a longtime writer/editor for news aggregation websites and has also developed content in the legal and financial publishing sectors as well as for online education. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law, “a law school the basketball teams can be proud of.”
