Two white men were arrested and are facing felony charges after a Black teen says he was racially profiled and attacked in his car in a Sanford, Florida, neighborhood.
Donald Eugene Corsi and Howard Oral Hughes were filmed confronting the 16-year-old in the aftermath of the June 14 attack in video footage shared on Instagram by the teenager, identified as Jermaine Jones.
'Get Out of My Neighborhood'
"I was racially profiled while driving through my friends neighborhood," Jones captioned the post. "They didn't like the way I was driving, so they felt the need to hit my car with a cone, and throw a rock through my window."
The clip starts off with Corsi and Hughes yelling at Jones while accusing him of " burning out and racing" through their neighborhood. Jones then films a dent on the side of his white Mercedes as well as a busted car window, which reveals a huge stone on the rear seat of the vehicle.
Hughes then also gets in the 16-year-old's face and yells, "I told you not to." The boy tells Hughes to get out of his face and he responds, "I'm not in your face. Get out of my neighborhood f***wad."
A woman, identified as Hughes wife, Cindy, is also seen holding up a cellphone while asking Jones to "Get out of this neighborhood" because "You don't belong here." When Jones asks if one of them was carrying a gun, Cindy responds by saying, "You are the one who would have a gun." Watch the video below:
Corsi, Hughes Arrested, Facing Property Damage, Weapon Charges
Corsi and Howard were swiftly identified by popular social media user @thatdaneshguy after the video went viral. According to Jones' father, police were called to the scene, but did not immediately arrest the pair. Court records show they were later taken into custody on felony charges by the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
Hughes and Corsi were both charged with criminal mischief for willfully and maliciously damaging another person's property – a third-degree felony charge. Hughes was also charged with battery – a first-degree misdemeanor while Corsi is facing an additional second-degree felony weapons charge for throwing a "dangerous object" into a vehicle with malicious intent.
Hughes was released after posting $2,500 bail. Corsi was released from custody after he posted bond totaling $17,000.
If convicted of the second-degree felony weapons offense, Corsi could face up to 15 years in prison, according to Florida state law. They could also face a fine.
On the third-degree felony charge, Hughes and Corsi could face up to five years in Florida state prison, according to state law. They could also face fines and probation. The battery charge against Hughes also carries a potential sentence of up to one year in jail.
Who are Donald Corsi and Howard Hughes?
As reported by Heavy.com, Hughes lives in Sanford, Florida, with his wife in the neighborhood where the incident occurred, according to public records obtained by the website. His Facebook page shows that he is an Ironman athlete and has raced cars in Sebring, Florida, and elsewhere. Hughes' profile does not include any information about his work or place of employment.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Corsi works for Southern Acoustics Inc. The company's website shows that Corsi runs the company with two other men who share his last name.
Sanford has previously grabbed national attention after another African-American teenager, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, was fatally shot by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in 2012.
