Man Convicted For Hate Crime, Assault On Alexandria Officer

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A man who reportedly yelled racial slurs at an Alexandria officer was convicted Monday on assault and hate crime charges.

Robert Vaughn, 34, of Alexandria was convicted on the following charges: assault and battery of a law enforcement officer; assault and battery on the basis of race, religious conviction, color or national origin; and petit larceny.

According to court documents, Vaughn was arrested on March 4. Police responded to a convenience store where Vaughn reportedly consumed a number of food items and fell asleep. When officers woke Vaughn and told him to pay for the items, he refused, "became belligerent and began uttering racial slurs," prosecutors say. He directed the slurs at one officer based on race.

Police arrested Vaughn on charges of petit larceny and public intoxication and took him into a police cruiser. At that point, Vaughn laid flat and kicked the officer twice in the chest and yelled a racial slur. Prosecutors say he repeatedly threatened to violently assault the officer.

A jury recommended a two-year prison sentence for Vaughn—18 months for assault on an officer and the remaining six months for assault on the basis of race, religious conviction, color or national origin. A judge will formally sentence Vaughn on Oct. 17.

Vaughn was previously convicted of separate assault on an Alexandria officer on Nov. 16, 2017. He is being held at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center pending sentencing.