Iowa City man arrested in hate crime assault
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A 68-year-old Iowa City man has been arrested for a hate crime assault, Iowa City PD said Thursday.
It happened on Thursday morning at 3:00 at 820 Cross Park Avenue. Police received reports of a resident refusing to leave the lobby area while being "verbally abusive and racist."
ICPD said Ronal Rarey was armed with a knife and found assaulting an employee, who is a black female.
A criminal complaint says Rarey repeatedly called her a 'black (expletive)." The victim works at Cross Park Place, which is a housing complex associated with Shelter House.
Court documents say it started when the victim refused to get Rarey fast food. When Rarey swung at her, she pushed him away. That is when the complaint says he pulled out a knife that is seven inches long.
The two wrestled for the knife until officers arrived on scene and took him into custody quickly.
The victim told police she feared for her life. She suffered injuries to her hands and was treated at the scene.
Rarey is facing the following charges:
- Assault while displaying a dangerous weapon
- Carrying weapons
- Possession of a dangerous weapon while under the influence
- Interference with official acts
The complaint says he has a history of knife attacks based on or related to race.
