Cracker Barrel Beating: Troy West-Tasha Hill Attack a Hate Crime?

Troy Dale West has been arrested for beating Tasha Hill at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Morrow, GA. Local police say they arrested Troy West for attacking Tasha Hill after she asked him to "be careful." 

According to police, Hill and her seven-year-old daughter were entering the Cracker Barrel restaurant as Troy West was walking out. As West was leaving, the exit door nearly hit Hill's daughter. Witnesses claim that Tasha Hill, a US army reservist, politely asked Troy West to "be careful."  

West reportedly began to beat Tasha Hill in front of her daughter. West tossed Hill to the ground and kicked and puncher her. During the Cracker Barrel beating, West used several racial slurs as he struck her in the face and head. 

Bystanders tried to jump in and stop the Cracker Barrel beating. Once police arrived, they checked surveillance video of the incident and charged Troy Dale West with battery, disorderly conduct, and cruelty to children in the first degree.

The Cracker Barrel beating case has been referred to the FBI Civil Rights Division for a possible violation of Federal Hate Crime Laws.