Utah man charged for beating son & father after yelling “I hate Mexicans!”; but not for a hate crime!

SALT LAKE CITY: A Utah was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly beating a son & father outside of their tire shop and has now been charged.

Alan Dale Covington, 50, was charged on Friday with two felony counts of aggravated assault, three charges of drug and weapon charges after he allegedly beat a Latino man & his son outside of their tire shop business.

What doesn’t make sense is that Covington is NOT being charged with a hate crime, as I believe he should.

Covington allegedly shouted that he wanted to”kill a Mexican” before attacking 51 year old Jose Lopez, the owner of Lopez Tires and his son, 18 year old Luis Gustavo Lopez, but according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office, Utah code prevents charges more serious than misdemeanor assaults from being prosecuted as a hate crime.

He also allegedly shouted “I’m here to kill a Mexican” and asked the son, “Are you part of the Mexican mafia?.”

According to police, Lopez’s son grabbed a rod to defend both him and his father, but Covington hit him in the face with the bar, knocking him unconscious as he continued to beat him and his father. Covington fled the scene, after the father’s brother heard the noise and came outside.

The family is enraged over the fact that this is clearly a hate crime, but Covington is not being charged for it.

Covington has a history violence, as he’s served time in prison for assault and domestic violence. According to The Tribune, Covington was also harassing employees at a nearby salon before attacking the father and son.

It’s also been reported that Covington suffers from “mental health issues” and is a drug addict.