Charges: Man assaulted after speaking Somali on Minneapolis bus
Cornell White | Hennepin County Sheriff's Office
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - A homeless man is charged after authorities say he assaulted a man on a public bus for speaking another language.
Cornell White, 56, is charged with assault motivated by bias and drug possession after the incident on Nov. 19.
The victim told police he was speaking Somali with his friend when White stood up and told him and his friend to “speak English” with ethnic and sexual slurs and then threw several punches toward the victim’s face. The incident can be seen on surveillance video from the bus. The victim had a swollen left eye.
The bus was traveling near the intersection of Chicago Avenue and East Lake Street in Minneapolis.
During White’s arrest, police found a small amount of methamphetamine. He faces up to 6 years in jail.