Mongold
DERBY — A 30-year-old man repeatedly screamed the n‑word at a group of teens on Hawthorne Avenue Monday evening.
In an email, police said they charged Keith Mongold, 30, a city resident, with “Breach of Peace based on Bigotry and bias.”
The police email points to state statute 53a-181k: second-degree intimidation based on bigotry or bias, a class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Mongold, who appeared under the influence as evidenced by his glassy eyes and irrational behavior, was screaming threats at his landlord on the sidewalk at about 4:45 p.m. when a group of about five teens walked by.
The confrontation happened near Nutmeg Avenue. The teens attend Derby High School just up the road.
Mongold turned his anger toward the teens, one of whom said he was 14 years old, calling them the n‑word at least 20 times as his landlord tried to reason with him.
The teens confronted Mongold, asking him to repeat what he said. Mongold continued to goad them, screaming “white power” and “heil, heil, heil, heil” while doing a Nazi salute.
He stepped toward the 14-year-old, again trying to antagonize them while also acknowledging he would get into trouble for fighting a “12-year-old.”
His landlord, who is apparently in the process of throwing him out, called police, while several neighbors came out to see who was screaming. Mongold threatened to beat up the teens and neighbors.
The teens walked away while Mongold continued to lace into them with racist comments. Police had received several 911 calls by this point.
A Hawthorne Avenue resident who heard the hate speech from her house got in her car, drove down the road and stopped to talk to the teens, apologizing to them for having to endure the ugly tirade.
Derby police officers arrived and interviewed Mongold, who could be heard lying to police, saying the landlord tried to get the teens to confront him. Police eventually took him away in handcuffs.
During his tirade Mongold also mentioned that his daughter’s mother was black, as if to justify his actions.
He was held on a $2,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 13.
The kids he yelled at were of African-American and Hispanic descent, according to a probable cause statement from police.
