Police investigate acid attack on Milwaukee's south side as a hate crime; suspect in custody

[Judi Lynn]

Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Published 3:01 p.m. CT Nov. 2, 2019 | Updated 12:20 p.m. CT Nov. 3, 2019



A Milwaukee man who suffered second-degree burns to his face in an acid attack Friday said Saturday he's now scared to walk around in his own city.

Mahud Villalaz, 42, on Saturday remained stunned by his encounter on Milwaukee's south side with a man at a bus stop who began berating him and then threw acid onto his face from a metal bottle.

Police said early Sunday that they had arrested a 61-year-old man in connection with an "aggravated battery" near the same location on Friday.

Villalaz's family released a statement thanking police for an arrest in the case.

"We wish to thank Chief Alfonso Morales and all the professionals at the Milwaukee Police Department for their efforts in bringing the attacker to justice," the statement reads.

On Saturday Villalaz said he no longer felt safe.

"I feel scared being an American citizen. I feel scared that I cannot feel protected in my own country with my neighbors," Villalaz told reporters at a news conference Saturday where he spoke in both Spanish and English.

More:
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2019/11/02/milwaukee-battery-acid-attack-man-burned-police-looking-suspect/4140669002/

[dalton99a]

1. Video of the attack:

https://www.wisn.com/article/milwaukee-suspect-allegedly-throws-battery-acid-on-man-in-racial-attack/29673827

[Judi Lynn]

2. So glad that video is public now. Hoping someone will see it and turn him in. Thank you. n/t

[MustLoveBeagles]

3. Horrible

This was a hate crime. The bullshit over the victim's parking was just an excuse. I read elsewhere that some of the acid got into his left eye. I hope the physical damage isn't permanent. i know that the emotional damage probably is.

[dalton99a]

4. Yep. The attacker was waiting for a Hispanic person to disfigure

[Aristus]

5. Carrying acid around with you is proof of premeditation.

Hope they throw him under the jail...

[Judi Lynn]

6. Hispanic man says acid attacker accused him of invading US

Ivan Moreno, Associated Press Updated 2:58 pm CST, Monday, November 4, 2019



Photo: Sophie Carson, AP
Mahud Villalaz, 42, of Milwaukee gestures to the second-degree burns on his face Saturday November 2, 2019 at a news conference one day after a man threw acid at him outside a restaurant on Milwaukee's south side. He is joined by, from left, state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa, his sister, and Forward Latino leader Darryl Morin. (Sophie Carson/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP)


MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee police arrested a man suspected of throwing battery acid on a Hispanic man who says his attacker asked him, "Why did you come here and invade my country?"

Police said Monday they arrested a 61-year-old white man suspected in Friday night's attack, but they have not released his name. Police said they're investigating the case as a hate crime and charges are expected Tuesday.

Mahud Villalaz suffered second-degree burns to his face. He said the attack happened after a man confronted him about how he had parked his car and accused him of being in the U.S. illegally. Villalaz, 42, is a U.S. citizen who immigrated from Peru.

The attack comes amid a spike in hate crimes directed at immigrants that researchers and experts on extremism say is tied to mainstream political rhetoric.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Milwaukee-police-make-arrest-after-man-attacked-14807109.php

[Judi Lynn]

7. Man arrested in Milwaukee acid attack was convicted of false imprisonment of hunters

Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Published 11:35 a.m. CT Nov. 4, 2019 | Updated 9:27 p.m. CT Nov. 4, 2019

The man under arrest in Friday's acid attack on Milwaukee's south side was convicted in an earlier incident of false imprisonment involving hunters on family land in northern Wisconsin.

Clifton A. Blackwell, 61, was arrested Saturday, hours after the Friday night confrontation that left Mahmud Villalaz, 42, with second-degree burns on his face. Villalaz said his attacker made anti-immigrant remarks to him and threw the acid right after Villalaz responded by saying he is a U.S. citizen.



. . .

Mayor says Trump feeds anti-immigrant feelings
Mayor Tom Barrett said Monday he was horrified by the weekend acid attack and blamed it in part on President Donald Trump's attitudes feeding anti-immigrant fervor.

"You don't begin a conversation with a racial slur and end it by throwing acid in someone's face," Barrett said at a brief news conference at City Hall Monday morning. "This is not what happens in a just society."

More:
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2019/11/04/responding-acid-attack-mayor-barrett-cites-anti-immigrant-rhetoric/4155787002/

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

8. Kick