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A South Carolina man is facing charges after launching an attack against a Black caregiver that was caught on video.
According to Atlanta Black Star, 79-year-old John Daniel Rosso was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery in the third degree last week in connection to his attack against Jasmine Thomas, a hospice caregiver.
Police responded to the encounter between Rosso and Thomas on April 28 in a residential neighborhood in Aiken, South Carolina.
The nursing assistant said Rosso followed her while she was driving to work at home in the neighborhood. Once she arrived at work, Thomas said Rosso got out of his vehicle, approached her, and began banging on the driver's side window. Thomas rolled her window down before Rosso allegedly struck her in the face.
Video of the incident shared on TikTok shows Rosso telling Thomas to "Shut up" before she fled her vehicle through the passenger side. In the video, Rosso followed Thomas into the yard of her workplace.
Thomas told police that Rosso hit her again, told her "You don't belong here," and called her a "b****."
“You done lost your mind! You’d better go on somewhere!” Thomas told the man as the confrontation escalated.
Thomas' employer, Josh Herring, came out of his home to intervene in the conflict happening in the front yard. Herring told authorities that he believed the incident was "provoked by racism."
Thomas, who's been working with the family for roughly a year, said she hasn't returned to work due to mental and emotional trauma.
“It’s been scary, though. Every time I close my eyes, I think about him. I see him in my head every time I close my eyes. I don’t like being shut in a dark room anymore. Or if I’m sleeping, there has to be some kind of light where I can see. I don’t like being in the dark. Or sometimes I cry out of nowhere. Or if I hear something loud, I just jump out my body. It’s kind of scary for real,” Thomas said. ”Now it’s like every time I hear something loud, it’s kind of traumatizing because it’s like, what is it.”
Rosso was booked at the Aiken Detention Center. His bond was set at $1,087.50.
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