No hate crime charges filed against man who yelled racist slurs at Utah women's basketball team

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A northern Idaho prosecutor won’t bring hate crime charges against an 18-year-old accused of shouting a racist slur at members of the Utah women’s basketball team during the NCAA Tournament.

The deputy attorney for the city of Coeur d’Alene made the announcement on Monday, writing in a charging decision document that though the use of the slur was “detestable” and “incredibly offensive,” there wasn't evidence suggesting that the man was threatening physical harm to the women or to their property. That means the conduct is protected by the First Amendment and can't be charged under Idaho's malicious harassment law, Ryan Hunter wrote.

The members of the University of Utah basketball team were staying at a Coeur d'Alene hotel in March as they competed at the NCAA Tournament in nearby Spokane, Washington. Team members were walking from a hotel to a restaurant when they said a truck drove up and the driver yelled a racist slur at the group. After the team left the restaurant, the same driver returned and was “reinforced by others,” revving their engines and yelling again at the players, said Tony Stewart, an official with the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, during a news conference shortly after the event.

The encounters were so disturbing that they left the group concerned about their safety, Utah coach Lynne Roberts said a few days later.