Christopher Qu, the 24-year-old accused of committing a hate crime assault against an unarmed African American student and his older brother at Irvine High School, has a strike conviction for criminal threats in Orange County in 2013, according to prosecutors.
Qu is scheduled to be arraigned in Santa Ana today on one felony count of aggravated assault, one felony count of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, and one misdemeanor count of violation of civil rights with sentencing enhancement allegations for committing a hate crime, great bodily injury, and his prior strike, according to Orange County District Attorney’s office.
A conviction could send Qu to state prison for 19 years, says the OCDA, which adds he was on probation at the time of the incident and bail of $100,000 will be sought at arraignment.
The OCDA account of what happened on the campus Wednesday matches what we reported Thursday, only with more detail. For instance, Qu allegedly hit the metal pipe against several railings before aggressively approaching the teen waiting to be picked up from sports practice by his 24-year-old brother, prosecutors say.
The brother, who was hit in the arm several times with the pipe, managed the wrestle it away from Qu, the OCDA claims.
Besides the older brother’s previously disclosed injuries—lacerations to his face and cuts and bruising to his arms—he suffered a fractured nose, prosecutors say.
