White supremacists charged with federal hate crimes in Oceanside attack against Marines

Two purported white supremacists and a third man have been charged with federal hate crimes and obstruction after authorities say they attacked three men, including two U.S. Marines, in a racially motivated assault at the Oceanside Pier last summer.SAN DIEGO (CN) — Two white supremacists who attacked two U.S. Marines and a third man in a brutal assault in Oceanside, California, last summer were charged with federal hate crimes on Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced in a press release.The two men — Austin Yohe, 23, and Daniel Burns, 30 — were both arrested Tuesday on charges related to the attacks on three people at the Oceanside Pier, as well as obstruction of justice. Yohe and Burns, who are both from Riverside, belong to a white supremacist organization based in Southern California’s Inland Empire, Coors 88, prosecutors say in the indictment.A third man, Johnny Lee Lane, 23, pleaded guilty to the attacks on Wednesday.The DOJ says the three men drove to the coastal city from Riverside before they began two unprovoked and racially motivated assaults against three people.The DOJ says the attack began at about 8:30 p.m. when the three men targeted a Black and Asian man who was sitting on a bench near the pier with his wife after a family funeral, adding that Yohe and Burns identified themselves as skinheads and began to punch and stomp on the man and slam the man’s head into a concrete wall of a nearby building.As the man attempted to crawl away, he was approached by Lane, who yelled racial slurs at him and also began to stomp and kick at him.The man, identified as 21-year-old T.L.W., suffered a concussion and was hospitalized with other severe injuries, the DOJ says.Yohe, Burns and Lane next made their way southbound to a plaza near the Oceanside Pier when they came across two Marines at whom they yelled racial slurs.The Marines — a 24-year-old Black man identified as T.J. and a 23-year-old white man identified as E.H. — did not follow the men or make gestures at them. However, the three men returned a couple minutes later and began to assault them.Yohe and Burns punched each of the men in the face without provocation, the DOJ says. The Marines did not immediately fight back and tried to de-escalate the situation by stepping back.Instead, Yohe and Burns continued to assault the two Marines, while Yohe yelled racial slurs. Lane also joined in the attack.E.H. suffered a concussion, orbital fracture, sinus fracture and fracture to his cheekbone. T.J. also suffered injuries to his head and hand.The DOJ also says Yohe and Burns made false statements about the night of the attacks during interviews with police and to court staff.Burns is said to have knowingly lied to the Oceanside Police Department on the night of the attacks after he told an officer he was not with Yohe or involved in the incident but was coming to pick him up after leaving a gym in San Bernardino. The DOJ claims Burns lied to the FBI in an interview in November when he told agents the fight with the Marines began when E.H. punched Yohe first, and he only came to help his friend.Additionally, Yohe is said to have lied to a court employee in Riverside County when he said he went to Oceanside because his friend was stranded there and needed a ride, and that his friend was involved in an altercation before he arrived.Both men made initial appearances in federal court Wednesday. Burns, who appeared in Alabama, will be transferred to the Southern District of California.A trial and motion hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30. Lane, who pleaded guilty, was released on bond and is scheduled for sentencing in January.The hate crime charges carry a maximum of 10 years in prison or a fine of $250,000. The obstruction charges carry a maximum of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.Attorneys for Yohe and Burns were not listed. An attorney for Lane did not respond to requests for comment.Categories / Courts, CriminalSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads