According to reports a black woman in Baton Rouge was charged with hate crimes after reportedly making racial comments while being arrested by a white police officer.
Online records from the East Baton Rouge Parish clerk of court show that 43-year-old Crystal Harris was charged with hate crimes, illegal use of the 911 emergency communication system, resisting a police officer with force or violence, public intimidation and retaliation, false communication with the intent to cause an emergency response, and misrepresentation during booking.
A police report said that around 6:30 a.m. on August 4, they were called to the 1100 block of Spanish Town Road in the downtown area of the city because the suspect was reportedly “very aggressive towards them” in 911 calls.
As per the statement, Harris “had consistently been calling in on 911 demanding an officer come out stating that she would keep calling until one arrived on scene.”
Harris was allegedly trying to get her things back from an apartment complex in the same area where the officer had first picked her up.
According to the news source, the statement showed that the officer had told Harris to call the constable to set up a time to get the things back.
As she was being taken to the first district of the Baton Rouge Police Department, Harris reportedly “made multiple comments about the officer being white and that was the reason for her arrest,” according to the filing.
“racist a** mother**” and a racial slur were used by the suspect, according to the story.
The report also said that the defendant wouldn’t get out of the car, wouldn’t let herself be handcuffed and taken to a holding area, and wouldn’t let herself be fingerprinted more than once.
Louisiana law says a hate crime is choosing a victim in light of “actual or perceived race, age, gender, religion, color, creed, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry” or a “membership or service in, or employment with, an organization, or because of actual or perceived employment as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services personnel.”