Martina Marie Garcia/Courtesy of Chico Enterprise Record
On March 30, Martina Garcia, a white Latina, was arrested and charged with a hate crime after intentionally attempting to hit a Black construction worker with her car, reported Atlanta Black Star.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Garcia allegedly drove her SUV through a construction work zone at 40-50 miles per hour while workers were clearing trees in Paradise, California. The speed limit was 25 miles per hour, and the flagman held up a sign that indicated that motorists should slow down as they drove through the area.
Instead of complying, Garcia chose to speed through while drinking and made obscene gestures with her brother, Antonio Burgos. She then made a U-turn and drove through the stop sign the worker held at 50-60 miles per hour. She swerved and yelled racial slurs and drove directly at the man. According to Ramsey, the worker was forced to jump out of her path to avoid being struck.
Other workers on the scene called 911 and followed her home. Garcia was arrested at home and charged with a DUI and assault. Her brother was arrested for consuming alcohol, a violation of his parole. On April 2, Garcia’s charges were increased to include a hate crime charge due to additional police reports that appeared to suggest “the assault was motived by hate directed at a minority.”
As of 2019, 52.5% of known hate crime offenders were white and of those, 10% identified as Hispanic or Latino. There were nearly 4,000 reported race-based hate crimes in 2019.
The racist Latina was scheduled to return to court yesterday to enter her plea and further arraignment.
She was released on $55,000 bail. The DUI and assault charges carry a possible four-year sentence. If convicted of the hate crime charge, she could face an additional three years.