Utah Man Sentenced for Hate Crime Attack of Three Men

A Utah man was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his bias-motivated attack of three men at a family-owned business.

On Feb. 19, 2020, after a five day trial, a jury in Salt Lake City convicted Alan Covington for attacking three men with a metal pole because he believed the men were Mexican.

According to evidence presented at trial, on Nov. 27, 2018, Covington, armed with a metal pole and hatchet, entered a family-owned tire shop, Lopez Tires. Upon entering the shop, the defendant demanded to know if the men were Mexican. According to testimony at trial, the defendant shouted that he wanted to “Kill Mexicans” and then began swinging the metal pole at the business owner, his brother, and teenage son. Covington hit the teenage son with the metal pole, taking him to the ground and causing serious physical injury to his face. Covington continued his attack striking the father multiple times in the back and eventually turned his attack on the business owner’s brother, who was able to escape without injury and report the matter to police. Covington was apprehended by police near the tire shop, with a metal pole and a hatchet in his possession.

Read more: Department of Justice