Authorities in Oregon are considering whether or not a white supremacist running down a black teenager with his car in early August should officially be classified as a hate crime.

On Aug. 10, Russell Courtier, 38, parked his vehicle in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven in Gresham, Oregon with his girlfriend, Coleen Hunt, 35. According to reports from The Huffington Post, Courtier got into a verbal dispute with Larnell Malik Bruce Jr., 19, who was there charging his phone.

The dispute soon turned physical, with Courtier slamming Bruce’s head into the store window as his girlfriend reportedly cheered him on. Bruce then revealed a weapon, reports claim it was either a knife or a machete, and the couple walked off to get into their vehicle. That’s when a witness claims they heard Hunt tell Courtier to run Bruce over.

Surveillance video caught footage of Bruce walking away from the scene, only to be followed by a red Jeep Wrangler.

“The video surveillance showed Mr. Bruce take evasive maneuvers on foot in an attempt to escape Mr. Courtier’s Jeep,” stated an affidavit. “The video surveillance then shows the red Jeep quickly turn around and accelerate towards Mr. Bruce.”

According to The Daily Mail, that’s when Bruce darted across the street into oncoming traffic, only to be followed by the Jeep. Police arrived on the scene after getting a call from a 7-Eleven employee and found Bruce’s body on the ground, alive, but seriously injured and bleeding from an apparent collision.

Courtier and Hunt confessed and were initially charged with attempted murder before Bruce passed from his injuries days later while in the hospital.

 

Photo: Larnell Bruce Facebook