A Southern California man who punched an Asian American woman in the head in Culver City while he shouted racial slurs at her was sentenced Monday to four years and three months in federal prison.

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Jesse Allen Lindsey, 38, a transient whose last known address was in Fontana, pleaded guilty in December to one federal hate crime count, a felony that carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The indictment states that, at roughly 1 a.m. on June 14, 2021, the victim was walking to work in Culver City when Lindsey, a white man, asked her for a lighter or cigarette. She responded that she did not smoke.

Lindsey then began following her and yelled at the woman, whom he perceived to be an Asian American man, “You … Asian guy, turn around.” Lindsey called the victim “Korean” and shouted, “You … Asian guy, you don’t belong here,” court papers show.

The indictment, filed in May 2024 in Los Angeles federal court, further states that, as captured on surveillance video, Lindsey yelled at the victim, “You can’t say hi to a … white boy?” Lindsey then punched the woman in the head, causing her to fall into the street and hit her head. While the victim was face down in the street, Lindsey shouted, “You hear what I said … I said good morning, bitch!” federal prosecutors said.

Emergency personnel took the victim to a hospital, where she received 11 stitches in her face. As a result of the attack, the victim sustained injuries to her head and ear, which left her unable to work for one month and caused ongoing pain for one year, the indictment states.

When he later learned from news reports that law enforcement was investigating the incident as a hate crime, Lindsey, fearful that hate crimes receive greater punishment, left California, prosecutors said.

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