Trending

‘This is my America’: Miami doctor accused of attacking Hispanic man

A Miami anesthesiologist is accused of attacking a Hispanic man at a grocery store, vandalizing his car and calling him a racial slur, authorities said.

>> Read more trending news

Jennifer Susan Wright, 58, of Miami Springs, was charged with criminal mischief, tampering with a victim and battery with prejudice, according to Miami-Dade County court records. The latter charge was classified a “hate crime,” which upgraded the charge to a felony, the Miami Herald reported.

Wright, an anesthesiologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center, was arrested Friday in connection with the Jan. 20 incident. She posted bail and was unavailable for comment.

According to police, Wright was shopping at a Publix grocery store in Hialeah. While waiting in line to pay, Wright was asked by a man in Spanish to maintain her distance, alleging she was breaking social distancing protocols by standing too close to him, the Herald reported.

According to an arrest report, Wright began “mumbling bad words,” but the man ignored her and walked to his car.

As the man began to load groceries into his vehicle, he was allegedly confronted by Wright, the Herald reported. When the man asked her to back up, Wright became even more enraged, according to the arrest report.

Wright allegedly called the man a racial slur and said, “We should have gotten rid of you when we could.”

According to the report, Wright also allegedly said, “This is not going to be (President Joe) Biden’s America, this is my America” and “we should have burned it all.”

At that point, Wright took out her keys and began scratching the man’s car, the Herald reported.

“The defendant also proceeds to stab the victim’s vehicle with her keys while saying he needed to go back to his country,” the arrest report said.

The man tried calling 911, but Wright allegedly punched him, causing him to drop the phone. As he tried to pick it up, she kicked him and tried to stomp the phone, police said.

Wright left the area in a Jeep Wrangler, the Herald reported. After an investigation, police arrested Wright on Friday outside her home, the newspaper reported.