A teenager with autism was on a race and while on the trail, an old man attacked him. The perpetrator has been charged in the incident after the teen's parents and people nationwide have been asking for justice.
The teenager was identified as Chase Coleman and the attacker was name Martin MacDonald. MacDonald was charged with second degree harassment, which is punishable by up to 15 days behind bars. The mother of Chase, Clarise Coleman, said in a statement that she was notified by Rochester police regarding the signed warrant from a city court judge allowing the charges to be made against MacDonald. Investigator Jacqueline Shuman of the Rochester Police Department confirmed the issuance of the warrant, Syracuse.com reported.
Chase is a ninth-grader in Syracuse and recently bloomed via running. He was running in a cross country race on Oct. 14 in Rochester when he encountered 57-year-old MacDonald on a park road. Witnesses said that MacDonald got out of his car, shoved Chase to the ground and yelled at the teen to get out of the area, KHOU.com reported.
MacDonald said that he did push the teen. However, he argued that it was because he believed Chase would mug his wife, who was sitting on the passenger seat.
City Court Judge Caroline Morrison denied an application for an arrest warrant on Oct. 21. Clarise and Syracuse Common Councilor Susan Boyle, as well as other people protested the denial and believed that Chase is a victim of discrimination because he is black and is autistic.
MacDonald, on the other hand, is a white man. It is also unclear when MacDonald will be arraigned.
Since the incident, Clarise said that her son no longer wants to go running or practice. She wanted him to run again because she believes he has found a field where he can excel. Residents were reporteldy working on a race in order to help Chase get running again.
The run is scheduled on Nov. 19 and the race is said to be called "Keep Going; Don't Stop; Keep Going." Do you think Chase Coleman is a victim of discrimination? Share your thoughts below.
