St. Paul, MN – A man who described himself as a “super
racist with a kind heart” is accused of punching a hospital employee in the
face because the employee is Jewish.
The incident happened Jan. 25 at Regions Hospital in St.
Paul, and 55-year-old John David Korngable was charged via warrant Wednesday.
According to the criminal complaint, a St. Paul police
officer was at the hospital that day when he was asked to investigate an
assault against a hospital employee.
The employee said he was sitting in a patient area and was
wearing hospital scrubs and a black yarmulke, which is a traditional Jewish cap,
when a patient came up to him and, without warning, punched him in the face.
Police say the victim’s lip was bloody and swollen.
The victim told police that the suspect had commented to him
earlier that day that he “didn’t know much about Jewish people,” according to
the complaint.
The suspect was identified as Korngable, who was interviewed
by police.
In the interview, Korngable told police that he hit the
employee “because he’s a competing race and wants to torture us,” according to
the complaint. He said his problem with the employee was that “he’s Jewish” and
that he didn’t have a problem with the employee specifically, just his race.
He then described himself as a “super racist with a kind
heart” and said he wanted a “non-Jew lawyer.”
Korngable has been charged with fourth-degree assault, which
is a gross misdemeanor. If convicted, he faces up to one year in prison and up
to $3,000 in fines.
