KENTUCKY, USA — A Lexington, Kentucky, man has been charged with a federal hate crime and firearms offenses after authorities say he threatened a Palestinian American man with a loaded gun earlier this year.
The Department of Justice said 53-year-old Melvin P. Litteral III was arrested Monday for using force or the threat of force to "intimidate and interfere with the victim" at a local restaurant on March 28.
According to court documents, Litteral pointed a handgun in the victim's face after a verbal altercation at a Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen. The Lexington Police Department was able to locate Litteral at his home about an hour after the incident, however authorities said he resisted arrest.
"Once located by officers, the suspect attempted to slam the door on officers, used his body to barricade the door, and once officers were able to make entry, the suspect would not give up his hands, stiffening his arms and attempting to pull them under his body," an officer noted in the arrest citation.
Litteral is facing state charges for first-degree wanton endangerment and resisting arrest.
The Lexington Herald Leader reported the victim, who is Muslim, wrote about the altercation on social media. He said the incident began when Litteral made Islamophobic comments and later pushed the victim when he was confronted about the comments.
If convicted of the federal hate crime offenses, Litteral faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. If convicted on the firearms offense, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of seven years in prison, which would run consecutively to any sentence imposed for the hate crime offense.
The FBI's Louisville Field Office is investigating the case.
According to court documents, Literall is now in federal custody.
His arraignment on the state charges has been scheduled for Aug. 23 at 8:30 a.m.
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