An Orangevale man now faces multiple hate crime charges after driving his vehicle into a park as he made racial slurs and threats to a Muslim family Sunday evening. Robert Avery, 33, turning himself into authorities Monday.
The incident unfolded Sunday evening around 7:30 p.m. when Avery drove recklessly through Heron Landing Park in Rancho Cordova, which is near the Anatolia community of the city. The park was well populated at the time as a celebration was taking place.
The Sacramento County sheriff’s office has reported that the incident appears to have been racially motivated, as the suspect was heard shouting offensive racial slurs directed at the group. He was reported to be yelling a number of racial slurs at visitors and threatened to “shoot and bomb” them.
Sergeant Amar Gandhi, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, expressed concern over the incident during a press conference earlier today.
“He was yelling racial slurs at them, threatening to shoot them, threatening to bomb them, obviously very concerning. Our deputies responded in minutes and by then, he had already driven off.”
Footage of the incident was made public by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Monday as authorities worked to identify the suspect. The video shows Avery driving his vehicle through the park while panicked voices can be heard in the background as park goers ran away from danger.
Approximately 12 hours later, with assistance from his family, Avery turned himself in, and law enforcement took him into custody without further incident. Avery has a criminal past and is a registered sex offender, according to reports.
Avery is currently facing felony charges related to hate crimes, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, and hate crime. He remains in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail wirh a bail set at $125,000.00 and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.