MIDLAND, Texas — A Midland man who is accused of attacking an Asian family in a Sam's Club has plead guilty to three counts of committing a hate crime.
Jose Gomez III, 21, stabbed four people, including two children and a Sam's Club employee.
The attack took place on March 14, 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic making its way to the United States.
According to court documents, Gomez had never seen the family before and believed they were Chinese. He followed the family around the store because he believed they were a "threat" since he though they were “from the country who started spreading that disease around.”
Gomez managed to find a serrated steak knife before punching the father of the family in the face with the knife that was vent to rest against his knuckles.
He then left to go find another knife before coming back and attacking the two young children, age two and six at the time.
One of the children had his face slashed open, nearly being stabbed in his right eye.
Zach Owens, a Sam's Club employee, then intervened and managed to hold Gomez down to stop him from further injuring the family, getting stabbed in the process. Customs and Border Protection agent Bernie Ramirez also assisted in holding Gomez down.
Owens and the injured family members were taken to the hospital, but not before the DOJ says Gomez yelled "Get out of America!" to the family.
The suspect was indicted in June 2020. He is also facing two counts of assault on a public servant for attacking two jailers at the Midland County Detention Center.
Gomez's sentence has not been determined yet, but he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count.
His sentencing is set for June 1 before Judge David Counts in Midland.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of a hate crime or has witnessed one is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.