Ahmaud Arbery case update: ‘Attackers who chased and murdered black jogger’ plead not guilty to hate crime charges
THREE men charged with hate crimes for "chasing down and killing" black jogger Ahmaud Arbery pleaded not guilty as they appeared in federal court for the first time on Tuesday.
Travis McMichael, his father Gregory, and their friend William "Roddie" Bryan, 51, were each charged with one count of interference with rights and with one count of attempted kidnapping.
A federal grand jury decided to indict them on the federal hate crime charges last month.
They are already facing state murder charges.
The father and son are accused of getting into a truck and chasing Arbery through the neighborhood while yelling at him after he was spotted jogging through their neighborhood.
In the video, can be heard saying that they know McMichael's dad, who is an ex-cop.
During the three-minute clip, he said: "We've had break-ins. And my gun stolen. And we caught him the other day. I saw him running, running by, and the neighbors pointed and everything. "
"I told him to 'stop, stop, stop' until he hit me," he told the officer as he paced back and forth. "There was nothing else I could do.
"I want it [the investigation] done right. It just doesn't look good," McMichael added, before again claiming Arbery "struck me a few times" in the face.
Towards the end of the video, the female cop asked a stressed-looking McMichael: "Did he [Gregory McMichael] retire about a year ago?"
"June," he replied before asking her for some water.
In the video, McMichael Sr can be heard repeatedly mentioning his police connections, which the prosecution has said was an attempt to "obstruct justice."
He told the responding officers his revolver is "Glynn County-issued" and touted his experience with law enforcement.
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Prosecutors alleged that he said these things "in the hopes that this will impact what investigators were doing at the time."
The three men remain in state custody where they are facing murder charges for Arbery's death and face trial in October.