A Black woman was on her way to work when she was chased down by an elderly South Carolina man who told her to go back to where she belongs.
The incident occurred on Monday, 12 May, outside a home on Bellreive Drive, Aiken. The victim, identified as a 25-year-old Jasmine Thomas, is a hospice caregiver. She posted a video of the altercation on TikTok with the caption, “Imagine being otw to work and being followed to your job because of the color of your skin, then assaulted 😡 #cc #RacismStillExists #awareness #aikensc #aikensouthcarolina.”
In the clip, Thomas speaks to an elderly white man, asking him to stop banging on her window. The man, later identified as John Daniel Rosso, refused and instead told her to shut up. After she rolled down her window, he punched her in the face and rammed the door against her when she tried to exit the car.
Thomas eventually left the car through the passenger’s side, but Rosso was relentless, and he pursued her into the yard of another White homeowner. The suspect continued to yell racial slurs at the victim, saying, “You don’t belong here.”
After Rosso hit her, Thomas told him she had caught the whole thing on camera, and he was going to jail because she also recorded his car details. Alarmed by the noise outside his home, the bystander neighbor arrived at the scene and placed himself between Thomas and Rosso, effectively stopping Rosso from launching further attacks.
When officers arrived at the scene by 8:49 a.m., they found visible swelling on the victim’s face from where she had been struck. Herring recounted the details of the incident to the officers, telling them he believed the attack was a result of racial prejudice.
Speaking on the incident, one social media user commented that Rosso “got off easy,” and Thomas should have sprayed some pepper spray in his face. Another user hilariously noted that there are “more racist boomers on earth than trees.”
One user pointed out that there was no excuse for the attacker’s behavior, and another remarked, “The entitlement is insane. I’m glad you’re okay, but this is so sad. Much respect for the self control.”
Another user lamented, “Omg!!!!! This world is not getting better. It is getting worse for POC because of racist Trump and his despicable entourage! I’m so sorry that this happened to you! 😡”
Notably, officers could track Rosso down based on the video footage obtained from the victim’s phone. The 79-year-old Rosso was charged with third-degree assault and battery and a misdemeanor.
