An Illinois professor who allegedly spit and hurled racial slurs at a Black mother has been charged with a hate crime.

According to multiple news reports, the woman and her 7-year-old daughter were waiting for her mother in the parking lot of a Jewel Osco supermarket on Sept. 7 when Alberto Friedmann drove up behind them and immediately started “honking and yelling” racial slurs.

“Move your fucking car,” he said, per court records. When the woman told the professor to drive around her vehicle, he got out of his car instead and approached her. He then prevented her from exiting her car and spit on her “because he doesn’t like Black people.”

The Black woman eventually exited her car, took down Friedmann’s license plate and called for assistance. As she threw bottles in his direction to prevent him from fleeing the scene, the professor drove in the woman’s direction. He “came within inches” of hitting her, but successfully struck her side bumper and side door.

Moments later, responding officers arrived on the scene and arrested Friedmann. At the time, he admitted to spitting on the Black woman and hitting her car. During his court hearing on Sunday (Sept. 19), however, his attorney John McNamara claimed he did not use any racial slurs against the woman as he is a minority and a “child of immigrants.”

According to Cook County court records, the professor — who faces a felony hate crime charge and a felony aggravated assault with a motor vehicle — was released on $2,500 bail. He has also been suspended from his role as a neurokinesiology teacher at the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Illinois.

“We take allegations of misconduct seriously, and therefore have suspended Alberto Friedmann pending the results of a university investigation,” officials with the National University of Health Sciences said in a statement.

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