Maryland State Police are investigating the assault and taunting of a Pennsylvania man driving through Harford County as a possible hate crime.
The victim, a 20-year-old African American male from southeastern Pennsylvania, said he was assaulted and taunted by two white men on Route 1 on May 27.
The victim was traveling on Rt. 1 north of Castleton Road in a dark maroon Ford Focus. He said the suspects, who were traveling in a black pickup truck, came up behind him and began blowing the horn. The victim told police the pickup then tried to pull up beside him. The victim swerved to avoid a crash and the suspects pulled up beside him and began yelling racial slurs, he told police.
The suspects then accelerated and pull in front of the victim, cutting him off. The victim braked and swerved, striking the guardrails on both side of the road. When he stopped to inspect his vehicle, the suspects stopped and began to taunt him.
The victim said he then followed the suspects north on Rt. 1 to the entrance of Conowingo pool. Both vehicles stopped and the victim said the suspects approached him, using racial epithets. He said they pushed him to the ground, then a fight ensued. He defended himself, subduing the suspects. He did not require medical treatment.
The victim told police the suspects got back into the pickup and drove south on Rt. 1. The pickup is described as a small black pickup with a long bed. The victim said there was a large Confederate flag mounted in the bed of the truck. He said the truck might have a dent in the front right bumper.
The suspects are described as white males in their mid to late 20s, both about 5'10" tall and weighing 180 pounds.
Anyone with information about the vehicle or the suspects is asked to call police at 410-996-7813.
