Man Convicted Of Hate Crimes For Yelling Slurs, Threats

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Portland man has been found guilty of two hate crimes after calling two African American boys a racist slur and threatening them with a knife.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports 61-year-old Michael Amatullo, who is white, was found guilty by a jury of two counts of felony unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of menacing. A judge found him guilty of two counts of intimidation.

Court documents say Amatullo’s 8-year-old neighbor was taking out the trash when Amatullo used a racist slur. Documents say he also yelled the slur at the boy’s 14-year-old brother.

The child testified that Amatullo then came out holding a kitchen knife and said, “Come here and I’ll kill you.”

A police affidavit says police took Amatullo into custody, where he launched into a stream of derogatory language.

Amatullo’s lawyer Joseph Westover argued that his client had felt threatened.
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