Garden Grove man charged with hate crime in attack of H.B. liquor store clerk

A man who allegedly repeatedly punched a 71-year-old clerk at a Huntington Beach liquor store in what authorities say was a hate crime this month has been charged with multiple felonies.

Orange County prosecutors charged Ralph Stanford Davis III, 51, with one felony count of inflicting injury on an elder adult, one felony violation of civil rights causing violent injury and a felony hate crime enhancement, the district attorney’s office announced last week.

Prosecutors also charged Davis with a misdemeanor for unlawful tampering with a vehicle for allegedly spitting at and punching the vehicle of another customer outside the store.

Davis III, of Garden Grove, pleaded not guilty Dec. 14 and denied the felony hate crime enhancement, court records show. He is currently being held at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange, jail records show.

If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison, officials said.

On Dec. 12, prosecutors allege that Davis made derogatory statements about the clerk’s nationality before punching him in the face as the clerk tried to close the store’s security gate.

Davis’ attorney, Michael Marley, could not immediately be reached for comment.

“This clerk should be able to earn a living without living in fear of being randomly attacked because of his nationality,” said Orange County District Atty. Todd Spitzer in a statement. “I have made the prosecution of hate crimes a priority. My Hate Crimes Unit will do everything it can to hold these haters accountable and send a strong message that engaging in hate-motivated violence is a crime — and it will be prosecuted.”

Davis III is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 28 for a pre-trial mandatory settlement conference.

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