A Hudson Valley man has been accused of a hate crime after going on a racist tirade in an apparent road rage incident that was caught on tape.
William Ryan, of Newburgh, NY, also falsely claimed he was an off-duty trooper as he hurled racial slurs at Robert Mclymore and his son, who are black, and gave them the middle finger, footage shows.
'You'll Never Be White'
"I'm a cop you a--hole, I'm an off-duty trooper you fu–ing stumpy n—–," Ryan shouted at the Mclymore, who is a police lieutenant and pastor in nearby Wallkill. "You're always a n—–, you'll never be white, you'll never be white.
"F— you!" he shouted as he stuck his middle finger up. Mclymore, who was driving with his son, recorded the June 11 encounter with the unhinged 60-year-old before sharing it on Instagram.
Mclymore claims Ryan started hurling the racial slurs at him after he let in a car in front of him. He then followed him into a parking lot and threatened them with a knife, Mclymore noted in the caption. Watch the video below:
Ryan Charged with Hate Crime
Ryan was arrested Tuesday and charged with second-degree menacing as a hate crime, which is a felony, Newburgh police said. He's also accused of menacing the victim with a knife, police said.
New York State police said Ryan was not a trooper with them or connected to any police agency, according to CBS New York. "There is no place for hate in our community," Newburgh police chief Anthony Geraci said in a statement. "Mr. Ryan will be held accountable for his criminal actions and deplorable speech. His racist threats were not only harmful to the victim in this case, but echoes deep within our City."
In an interview with News 12 Hudson Valley, Mclymore told the news station that he was driving to church on Saturday when he let an oncoming car make a left-hand turn, which sparked Ryan's ire.
"This is personal. What hurt me is that it could have been my life and my son's life," said Mclymore, according to the local television station.
