Driver follows man home after he honked, beats him in racist attack, MA officials say
A man whose car was still stopped when a traffic light turned green reacted violently to a person honking his horn at a Massachusetts intersection, a district attorney’s office said in detailing the racially motivated attack.
John Thomas McNeil followed the man who beeped to his home, after they both had been waiting at the red light in the city of Everett, located about a 10-mile drive northeast from Boston, on March 16, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office.
At the man’s house, McNeil used his car to stop him from pulling into his driveway, the office said. Then McNeil got out of his vehicle and shouted racial slurs, according to an April 2 news release issued by the office.
Once the man left his car, McNeil got physical by pushing and punching him in the face, the district attorney’s office said. McNeil’s accused of hurling more racial slurs during the assault that unfolded in the victim’s driveway.
Attorney information for McNeil wasn’t immediately available the afternoon of April 2.
McNeil, 41, of Everett, is now charged with a hate crime and other offenses, the district attorney’s office said.
He was arraigned on a count of assault and battery to intimidate based on race, in violation of the victim’s civil rights, as well as one count of reckless operation of a motor vehicle and a count of operating with a suspended license, according to the office.
“In this case (McNeil) is alleged to have taken a horn beep in traffic as justification for a pursuit, a barrage of racial slurs and an assault,” District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement.
“Such random violence, especially when coupled with hate, is extraordinarily dangerous, to individuals and to our communities.”
The beating March 16 ended with McNeil leaving the man’s property, according to authorities, who didn’t specify the man’s race.
Afterward, a detective and the Everett Police Department’s crime analyst unit identified McNeil as the suspect, Ryan’s office said.
In a statement, Everett Police Chief Paul Strong commended their efforts to identify him.
McNeil’s bail was set at $500 during his arraignment in Malden District Court, according to the district attorney’s office.
His next court date is scheduled for May 28, the office said.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Driver follows man home after he honked, beats him in racist attack, MA officials say."
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