San Diego

Ashli Babbitt's Brother Accused of Assaulting, Hurling Slurs at Latino Road Worker

Roger Stefan Witthoeft Jr. was arraigned last week on charges of committing battery, with a hate crime enhancement, and violating the victim’s constitutional rights by threat of force

People placed flowers and candles for Ashli Babbit, an Air Force veteran who was shot and killed in the U.S. Capitol Building as she tried to advance into the building during the Capitol Riot.
Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

A brother of Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was fatally shot by an officer during the Capitol riot, is accused of yelling racial slurs and assaulting a Latino traffic controller in San Diego.

Roger Stefan Witthoeft Jr. was arraigned last week on charges of committing battery, with a hate crime enhancement, and violating the victim’s constitutional rights by threat of force, San Diego City Attorney Mara W. Elliott announced.

The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported the relation between Babbitt and Witthoeft, citing public records and a business lawsuit in which they were co-defendants. Witthoeft identified himself as Babbitt's brother to The New York Times last year.

The incident happened in September, when a San Diego Gas & Electric worker told Witthoeft that he would need to take a detour, authorities said.

Witthoeft "exited his pickup truck and verbally and physically confronted the worker, a Latino man," said a statement from Elliott's office.

Witthoeft's trial is scheduled for next month. The Union-Tribune reported that he is being represented by a public defender. The San Diego County public defender's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News on Thursday.

Read the full story here on NBCNews.com

Footage taken inside the U.S. Capitol shows the moments leading up to the shooting of Ashli Babbitt as supporters of President Donald Trump rushed toward the Speaker’s Lobby. The video was licensed from a self-described civil rights activist.
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