California: Police seek 2 white supremacists suspected of hate crime attack
— Orange County Register reports:
— “3 men, 1 woman suspected in attack on Latino in Huntington Beach after seeking ‘non-white’ to assault, police said.”
— “Police are looking for a man and woman who they believe may be white supremacists in a group of four who assaulted a Latino man last month and were driven away by neighbors, officials said.”
— “Huntington Beach police have issued an arrest warrant for Erin Brooks, 24, of Huntington Beach, and Brian Hanson, 26, of Santa Ana, police said.”
— “Michael Powell, 21, of Anaheim, and Bret Hicks, 30 of Riverside, who are also suspected in the attack, are in custody at the Orange County Jail and are scheduled for arraignment Monday.”
— “All four have been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault with hate crime enhancements, which could lead to about 20 years in prison, Huntington Beach police spokesman Russell Reinhart said.”
— “The four people are being identified as white supremacists based on their tattoos, which say ‘Skinhead,’ ‘White Pride’ and ‘Hate’ and have references to ‘Heil Hitler’ and a Nazi swastika, prosecutors and court documents said.
— “Reinhart said three men and a woman were circling the Oak View community, a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Huntington Beach, about 11:55 p.m. July 3 to hurt someone who is ‘non-white,’ Reinhart said.”
— “When the group found the victim standing in an alley speaking with another person, they attacked, yelling racial slurs, Reinhart said. The Orange County Register is excluding the victim’s name because of concerns for his safety.”
— “About five years ago, Brooks was in the car with Billy Joe “BJ Psycho” Johnson when police discovered the body of a 26-year-old Laguna Niguel man named Cory Lamons in the trunk, the Register reported at the time.”
— “Johnson, a former Nazi Low Rider with SS lightning bolts inked on his throat, was convicted in 2006 for beating the man to death for stealing $12,000 from a stripper named Wild Kitten. Brooks was charged with murder, but entered into a plea deal in 2005 that resulted in felony probation. “