Feds investigate beating as hate crime

ATLANTA - A black female Army reservist said Wednesday she hasn't been able to sleep since she was beaten by a white man in front of her 7-year-old daughter last week, and federal authorities said they were investigating the case as a hate crime.

Tashawnea Hill was kicked and punched by a white man Sept. 9 as he screamed racial slurs outside a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Morrow, police said. Troy D. West, 47, became enraged when Hill told him to be careful after he nearly hit her 7-year-old daughter while opening the restaurant's door, police said.

FBI spokesman Stephen Emmett said the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division has initiated a investigation into the incident.

Hill, who was taken to the hospital after the incident, said Wednesday she is still in shock.

"I haven't been able to sleep since then," she said in a telephone interview on the way to the doctor's office. "My major concern is that my daughter is OK. Mommy will heal up. Mommy will get better, but she's the future."

West was charged with battery, disorderly conduct and cru

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Feds investigate beating as hate crime ATLANTA - A black female Army reservist said Wednesday she hasn't been able to sleep since she was beaten by a white man in front of her 7-year-old daughter last week, and federal authorities said they were investigating the case as a hate crime. Tashawnea Hill was kicked and punched by a white man Sept. 9 as he screamed racial slurs outside a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Morrow, police said. Troy D. West, 47, became enraged when Hill told him to be careful after he nearly hit her 7-year-old daughter while opening the restaurant's door, police said. FBI spokesman Stephen Emmett said the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division has initiated a investigation into the incident. Hill, who was taken to the hospital after the incident, said Wednesday she is still in shock. "I haven't been able to sleep since then," she said in a telephone interview on the way to the doctor's office. "My major concern is that my daughter is OK. Mommy will heal up. Mommy will get better, but she's the future." West was charged with battery, disorderly conduct and cru Continue reading the rest of "Feds investigate beating as hate crime" by Athens Banner-Herald © 2009 http://onlineathens.com - Athens Banner-Herald - All rights reserved. Rate This Article: Comment on "Feds investigate beating as hate crime" Your Name Your Comments Verification Code: ENNSN7 Enter Code:	Subscribe to our Monthly Email Newsletter