Man Gets 10-Year Jail Sentence For Throwing Acid At Latino In 'Diabolical' Racial Attack

A Wisconsin man who threw acid at a Latino man's face in a racial attack causing permanent damage to the victim's eyesight has been sentenced to prison.

Clifton Blackwell, 64, was found guilty last month on charges of first-degree reckless injury with the use of a dangerous weapon as a hate crime for attacking the victim, identified as Mahud Villalaz, a Peruvian-born U.S. citizen in front of a restaurant in Milwaukee in November 2019, NY Daily News reported.

The 42-year-old victim suffered second-degree burns on his face and had permanent damage to his left eye, in the attack that was caught on surveillance camera.

On the day of the assault, Blackwell started an argument with Villalaz for parking his truck too close to a bus stop. "Why did you invade my country?" and "Why don't you respect my laws," Blackwell yelled at the victim, according to the criminal complaint, CNN reported.

Even after the victim moved his truck, Blackwell continued the abuse, calling Villalaz an illegal immigrant and asking him to go back. Villalaz then called Blackwell a "racist" and said all Americans came from somewhere else. An angry Blackwell then threw acid at Villalez from a container that he was holding, court records said.

Blackwell's lawyer argued in court that his client regularly carried the acid for protection while traveling on the bus calling it a "poor man's mace," CNN affiliate WSN reported.

However, the court rejected the lawyer’s argument that Blackwell acted in self-defense and sentenced him to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

"I'm sure (the acid) was absolutely painful. And you caused him emotional distress that I think is never going to heal. You made him feel he's not worthy and that's diabolical," the judge told Blackwell during the sentencing.

"We're all different from one another... When we let those differences cloud our judgment, that's bias or prejudice or discrimination, and in this instance it is hate," the judge added.

Meanwhile, Villalaz's lawyer said his client is thankful for the sentencing and hopes that Blackwell realizes what he did was wrong. "Justice prevailed," Villalaz reportedly told WSN.