- Jose Gomez III attacked a Burmese family at a Sam’s Club, mistaking them for Chinese.
- According to police, Gomez believed they were “from a country that started spreading the disease.”
- Gomez was sentenced to 25 years in prison for hate crimes.
A Texas man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison on federal hate crime charges after he attacked an Asian family at Sam’s Club — accusing them of spreading COVID-19, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
Jose Gomez III, 21, pleaded guilty to stalking a Burmese family with intent to kill at a Sam’s Club warehouse in Midland, Texas in March 2020, According to a release from the Department of Justice.
The family includes a father and his two children aged 6 and 2.
According to the statement, Gomez identified the family as Chinese and viewed them as a threat because they “come from a country that started spreading the disease.” He then followed them around the store for a few minutes before leaving them to find a serrated steak knife in the store.
Prosecutors said Gomez came back and punched his father in the face, slashing him with a knife, and then told them to retrieve an 8-inch knife from the store.
Gomez then returned with a knife and attacked the children sitting in the basket of the shopping cart – slicing the 6-year-old’s face, the statement said.
According to the statement, the knife entered a millimeter from the child’s right eye and cut open his right ear.
According to the statement, Gomez would then stab a Sam’s Club employee who intervened to prevent him from attacking the family further.
According to the release, Gomez yelled “Get out of America” at the Asian family while being pinned down by Sam’s Club employees.
The Justice Department noted a surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans, largely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Hate-motivated violence will simply not be tolerated in our society, and everyone should feel safe from this vicious harm,” U.S. Attorney Ashley Hough said in a statement. “Today’s verdict. Sending a loud and clear message that our office will aggressively prosecute federal hate crimes while delivering justice for the victims.”
