NOVI, Mich. — The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office has charged a West Bloomfield valet company owner with a hate crime after Novi police tied him to a racial slur left on a Black couple’s driveway.
Ayham Nadeem Assi, 22, is accused of one felony count of hate crime involving property damage. That offense can bring as much as five years behind bars and a fine as high as $10,000, prosecutors said.
According to charging papers, a neighbor threw a party on Sept. 6 and hired Assi’s valet crew to handle parking. The couple next door complained about cars sitting on their grass, then later found an anti-Black slur painted onto the driveway apron.
Surveillance video from the home, prosecutors said, captured Assi walking up to the driveway and appearing to write the words. The couple, who are Black, reported feeling threatened and singled out because of their race.
Novi officers told reporters they could not confirm the writing tool, though they believe it may have been a cosmetic product rather than spray paint.
Prosecutor Karen McDonald said racial intimidation has no place in Oakland County and that residents should be able to feel secure in their homes and neighborhoods.
Section: More Novi MI crime news
Filed under: Novi MI Crime News
