16-year-old charged in connection to Laurel hate crime

LAUREL, Del. – A 16-year-old has been charged following a reported hate crime in the Laurel area last week.

During the early afternoon hours of July 21st, officers responded to the 1200 block of W 6th Street for a 911 call from a 13-year-old who was reporting that someone pointed a gun at him. Officers made contact with the victim and a guardian, learning that the suspect had already left the area.

It was determined through the initial investigation that the victim was playing basketball in the driveway of his home when a male suspect, who was not known to the victim, drove to and stopped in front of the victim’s residence without provocation. The suspect then allegedly began yelling racial slurs at the victim and told the victim to “go inside”. The suspect then reportedly pulled out a firearm and pointed it at the victim, who ran inside the house as the vehicle fled the area.

The victim provided a description of the suspect and suspect’s vehicle, which included specific identifying characteristics. Officers searched the area for surveillance video and potential witnesses, with several people reporting that they saw the same vehicle and driver in the area on multiple previous occasions, driving recklessly and yelling racist remarks at pedestrians.

Police later identified the suspect as a 16-year-old male from Delmar. He was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, hate crime, and aggravated meaning. The teen turned himself in to Laurel PD with a guardian and was released on his own recognizance pending a future court arraignment.