PITTSBURGH — A man is in jail accused of beating up another man and throwing him onto the T tracks in what police are calling a racially motivated attack.
According to a criminal complaint, police found the victim lying on the tracks at the Wood Street Subway station on Saturday.
DEVELOPING: Willie J. Hayes has been charged with attempted homicide and ethnic intimidation after he threw a man on the train tracks at the Wood Street T-Station Saturday night. Witnesses told investigators Hayes said he was going to kill the victim because he is white pic.twitter.com/HPP0cbrVPN
— Aaron Martin (@WPXIAaronMartin) May 30, 2019
He told officers he didn't know how he got there, was disoriented, bloody and bruised. He had several broken bones and needed surgery for internal bleeding.
Witnesses told police a black man, who was later identified as Willie Hayes, threw the victim onto the tracks. Surveillance video confirmed the witnesses' stories, according to the criminal complaint.
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Both witnesses also said they heard Hayes tell the victim he was going to kill him because he was white. Police did not see the victim do anything to provoke Hayes.
After learning that Hayes had been at the Rivers Casino beforehand, police were able to identify him.
Hayes was arrested following a SWAT standoff Thursday morning at his home in Sharpsburg. Viewer Chris Elliott shared video with Channel 11 of officers with guns drawn calling for Hayes to come out.
Hayes is charged with criminal attempted homicide, ethnic intimidation and aggravated assault.
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