Man Charged With Hate Crimes For Using Racial Slurs Against Latino Men In Costa Mesa

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COSTA MESA (CBSLA) – A man accused of throwing a knife at a Costa Mesa police officer and using racial slurs against four Latino men is facing felony hate crime charges, the Orange County district attorney's office reported Tuesday.

Twenty-seven-year-old Bryce Cameron Agius, who is white, is charged with four counts of committing a hate crime and one count each of assault with a weapon on a peace officer and resisting arrest, according to Deputy District Attorney Jake Jondle.

Agius is accused of insulting four Latino men with racially derogatory epithets at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday just outside Lions Park in Costa Mesa, Jondle said.

When police arrived, he allegedly threw a knife at one of the officers, missing his target, the prosecutor said.

While at the city jail, he also head-butted another officer, Jondle said.

Agius is being held on $50,000 bail. His next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 7. He faces a maximum sentence of eight years and four months in prison if convicted.