Photo Courtesy of Berkeley Police Department
According to the Berkeley Police Department, a Berkeley woman was arrested for committing a hate crime against an Amazon delivery driver.
Kendall McIntosh delivered packages on April 18 near Delaware Street and McGee Avenue when Julie Warland accused him of driving too fast and began to follow him with her boyfriend as they yelled racial epithets at him.
“I was just trying to do my job and she wouldn’t allow me to, she closed um, both double doors in the van I was trying to leave out of.”
McIntosh told KRON4 News that Warland twice tried to enter his vehicle and grab the steering wheel as her boyfriend stood behind his vehicle to prevent him from leaving, adding that she instantly began cursing at him.
“Very derogatory language, you know I was getting constant F bombs thrown at me. I was getting just racially profiled from the jump.”
The couple continued to harass McIntosh for doing his job and repeatedly called him the N-word and screamed, “f**k you.”
The man said that he didn’t feel safe during the incident, and luckily, part of the incident was caught on video by bystanders, which he is grateful for.
“What constantly was running through my mind was that, you know, it could be me in cuffs instead of her, um, so no matter what the situation is, um just protect yourself. Um, you know, if you feel like you got to videotape or anything, definitely do that ’cause I felt like if there wasn’t a video, if it wasn’t being recorded, she probably could’ve gotten away with saying this,” said McIntosh.
Thirty-five-year-old Warland was charged with false imprisonment, battery, willfully threatening a person based on their appearance and using offensive words.
The Berkeley Police Department issued a statement about the incident.
“The Berkeley Police Department recognizes and places a high priority on the rights of all individuals guaranteed under state and federal law. The commission of a hate crime is a serious offense, which will not be tolerated in the City of Berkeley.”