A man from Palmyra is facing serious charges after a violent attack on a hiker in Perinton that authorities are calling a hate crime. Derrick Van Epps, 30, has been indicted for attempted murder and assault after allegedly stabbing a Fairport man on June 23, according to WHAM.
Van Epps is accused of targeting Dylan Ghaemi, a first-generation American of Iranian descent, during a walk on the Indian Hill Trail. Ghaemi was stabbed multiple times but managed to escape and find help. Authorities later tracked Van Epps to a nearby park where he was taken into custody.
He remains jailed in Monroe County and is awaiting arraignment. Investigators say the attack appeared unprovoked and racially motivated.
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