Black woman viciously attacked by white man at Florida gas station

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Activists are demanding more accountable for a white man who was seen on video brutally hitting a young Black woman at a Jacksonville, Fla. gas station.

Kevin Williamson, 59, was arrested on Friday and charged with misdemeanor battery. But activists say the attack on the young woman was a hate crime and wants the charges to reflect it.

Black woman attacked by white man

A disturbing video appears to show Williamson attacking Rayme McCoy, 23, at a BP gas station on May 16. McCoy told WJXT that Williamson was yelling racial slurs at another person outside while she was trying to pay for her gas inside the station. She asked him to step back after he walked up behind her. That’s when Williamson said he had a gun in his car.

“So at that point, I felt threatened. He put his beers on the counter in front of my stuff and I slid them over and at that point, that’s when he started punching me in the face,” she stated.

Activists call for hate crime charge

Before Williamson’s arrest, local activists urged law enforcement authorities to consider the assault a hate crime.

“Let’s be real clear about this, the same connection between Buffalo, New York happened right here in Jacksonville, Florida. This is a stunning example of a hate crime,” Ben Fraizer, founder of the Northside Coalition, told WTLV.

Williamson was released on $20,000 bond and ordered to stay away from the victim and witnesses.