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Home · News

Couple Faces Hate Crime Charges After Yelling 'White Lives Matter' At Black Man, Girlfriend

Gregory and Rachel Howell, both 29, are facing charges of hate crimes and vandalism after confronting a Black man and his girlfriend.
Couple Faces Hate Crime Charges After Yelling ‘White Lives Matter’ At Black Man, Girlfriend
By Breanna Edwards · Updated November 4, 2020

A married couple faces hate crime and vandalism charges after confronting a Black man and his girlfriend at a traffic light in California.

According to KTLA, the incident was captured on July 22 by Itzel Lopez, who was driving with her boyfriend after a birthday dinner. The couple noticed two people in a pickup driving behind them for a while, before the truck got in front of them at a red light and Gregory and Rachel Howell both got out of the vehicle.

The Howells, both 29, started approaching the car with Lopez and her boyfriend, who is Black, prompting Lopez to start recording.

Gregory Howell is captured on the footage yelling “white power” while making a Nazi salute, while his wife started yelling “Only white lives matter.”

View this post on Instagram

On my birthday JULY 22. 2020 I experience racism in a extremely traumatic way. Today on my 25th birthday I was a victim of racism and so was my boyfriend who is black. We were being harassed for miles . Until we came to a red light . When all this happened They hit the car . Cause damaged to his car . This happened on Artesia and Prairie around 10:23pm. We ended up getting away from there . We got there license plate . Please share ! This happened in the city of Torrance CA. LICENSE PLATE: 51922T2 UPDATE : NO ARREST HAS BEEN MADE . It’s been 10 days. UPDATE #2 : An ARREST was made July 31st. August 1st they were release out on bail. | | #RACISMh #Share #black lives matter #blmanhwa

A post shared by @ izzeee.e on Jul 22, 2020 at 11:17pm PDT

“We tried to get away. She kept standing in front of the car, and wouldn’t let us leave,” Lopez told the news station.

Gregory Howell then got a shovel from his pickup and struck the car Lopez’s boyfriend was driving as they tried to escape. Rachel Howell also allegedly damaged the driver’s side mirror.

“We were just in shock. We didn’t know what was going on,” Lopez told KTLA. “Never in my life did I think I was gonna experience this. It’s actually really scary. They don’t even know you and they’re willing to hurt you.”

The Howells were ultimately arrested on Friday, after local police obtained arrest warrants.

TOPICS:  Gregory Howell Itzel Lopez Rachel Howell Racism White Supremacy
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