Dubuque man charged with hate crime after assaulting African American man and female friend

A Dubuque man, who is accused of stomping and kicking an African-American man and using racial slurs against him and his white friend, was charged with a hate crime Wednesday in federal court.

Randy Metcalf, 40, was charged with committing a hate crime by causing bodily injury to a person based on the individual's race, according to an unsealed criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

An affidavit with the complaint states Metcalf assaulted a man identified as 'L.S.” on Jan. 12 at the Northside Bar in Dubuque. He stomped and kicked his head after making 'racially disparaging comments and racial slurs” to L.S. and his female friend 'S.K.,” FBI Special Agent Thomas Reinwart said in the affidavit.

Reinwart said the incident was captured on eight video surveillance cameras operating within the bar and on a patio outside the bar, and there also were several witnesses' accounts of both the assaults and the verbal arguments

At one point during the evening, another person with Metcalf put L.S. in a headlock and a third person punched him in the face, leaving him motionless on the floor, the affidavit states. While L.S. was on the floor, Metcalf went over and kicked and stomped his face and head until Metcalf was pushed away by another unnamed person and then the bartender told everybody to leave.

The video then shows Metcalf and others leaving the bar but then Metcalf walked back in to get his jacket. After getting the jacket, Metcalf walked over to L.S., who was still on the floor, and kicked and stomped his head and face again. At this point, S.K. pushed Metcalf away from L.S. and then Metcalf gave a back-hand punch to S.K., knocking her to the floor.

Medical reports showed L.S. had numerous scrapes and abrasions to his face, as well as a broken right side orbital bone, and S.K. had a fracture to her right cheek bone.

Reinwart said in the affidavit that Metcalf had several tattoos on his body, including a large swastika tattoo on his abdomen and another tattoo of a skull with a swastika on its forehead. Metcalf also has 'FRYS” tattooed on his chest area. Reinwart said 'FRYS” is a gang that operates in Iowa prisons and has white supremacist ties.

If convicted, Metcalf faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

A detention hearing for Metcalf is set for Friday. He was held without bond after being formally charged Wednesday.