Homeowner Charged With Hate Crime For Pistol-Whipping Man Who Peed On His Fence

Taunton, MA – A Massachusetts man is facing a slew of charges, including a hate crime, after he attacked a man who was urinating on his fence on Thursday.

The incident occurred just before 10:15 p.m. on Dec. 4 when 59-year-old Joseph Amaral Jr. pulled into his driveway and saw someone relieving himself on the fence in front of his North Avenue home, MassLive reported.

Witnesses told police they had been driving along North Avenue when they stopped to let a 23-year-old passenger out of the car to pee.

The man was urinating on a fence when he saw the homeowner pull into the driveway, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.

The men who remained in the car told police that their friend went to apologize to the homeowner when he was finished urinating.

But they claimed that instead of accepting the apology, Amaral got out of his car and pointed a black handgun at the 23 year old, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.

Police said witnesses described Amaral screaming racial and derogatory obscenities at the man who had urinated on his fence.

Then witnesses told police Amaral pistol-whipped the victim twice and then pushed him into a fence and kneed him, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.

Police said Amaral went over to the car the men were riding in and hit and kicked it several times, causing damage to both sides of the vehicle.

All three of the men from the car told the exact same story, according to the authorities.

The victim and his friends left the area and called the police from a nearby parking lot, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.

The police report said that when officers arrived on the scene, the victim’s nose was bleeding and he had a bump on the side of his head.

Police said the 23 year old declined medical attention, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.

Officers went to Amaral’s home next and he was cooperative and invited them inside.

Police said the man appeared intoxicated and was slurring his words, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.

Officers saw a pistol that matched the description of the one Amaral had allegedly used to strike the victim sitting on his kitchen counter.

Police arrested Amaral and took the pistol as evidence, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.

Once he was in custody, officers did a sweep of Amaral’s home and found three rifles, two shotguns, a revolver, and a box of ammunition.

Police took all of the weapons and Amaral’s license to carry a gun so it could be reviewed by state officials, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.

Taunton Police Chief Edward Walsh said his department was aggressively investigating the incident.

“This type of racism, bigotry and violence will not be accepted in our community and any acts of racism or violence will be aggressively investigated by our officers,” Chief Walsh said.

The police chief also clarified that Amaral has no connection to any law enforcement agency after several social media posts referred to him as “Taunton’s Finest,” a moniker usually reserved for police.

Amaral was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, armed assault and battery to intimidate causing bodily injury, intoxicated licensee carrying a firearm, civil rights violation, threat to commit a crime, vandalizing property, and improper storage of a firearm, according to a press release from the Taunton Police Department.