Houston, December 26, 2013–The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) commends the Katy Police Department, Fulshear Police Department, Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI for acting quickly in an alleged racially motivated “knock-out” assault and sending a message that such crimes will not be tolerated.

According to the Department of Justice, 27-year-old Conrad Alvin Barrett has been charged with a federal hate crime under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act for allegedly punching a 79-year-old African American man in the face and recording himself on his cell phone while doing it.  According to the criminal complaint, Barrett comments in a video that “the plan is to see if I were to hit a black person, would this be nationally televised?”  After that, he reportedly is seen punching the elderly victim in the face.

“We welcome the swift and thorough investigation of this alleged attack by local and federal law enforcement officials and their use of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd., Jr. Federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act.   By investigating this alleged assault as a hate crime, law enforcement officers send a message that these “knockout attacks” aren’t a game.  They are crimes that should be taken seriously and should be considered hate crimes when they appear to be motivated by race, religion, or other characteristics that a person cannot change.” said ADL Southwest Regional Director Martin B. Cominsky.