Current:Home > NewsPolice say use of racial slur clearly audible as they investigate racist incidents toward Utah team-LoTradeCoin
Police say use of racial slur clearly audible as they investigate racist incidents toward Utah team
View Date:2024-12-23 23:49:23
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Police investigating racist incidents directed toward the Utah women’s basketball team when they were near their Idaho hotel while in town last month for the NCAA Tournament say they’ve found an audio recording in which the use of a racial slur was clearly audible.
The Coeur d’Alene Police Department said in a Wednesday post on Facebook that it is working to determine the “context and conduct” associated with the slur’s use to determine if there was a violation of law. Police said they are still reviewing evidence from the March 21 incidents, but it appears that a racial slur was used more than once.
Police said they’ve collected about 35 hours of video from businesses in the area, and that video and audio corroborates what members of the basketball program reported. Police said detectives are working to locate any additional evidence and get information on suspects. Detectives also are trying to identify a silver car that was in the area at the time.
Following Utah’s loss to Gonzaga in the second round of the tournament on March 25, Utes coach Lynne Roberts said her team had experienced a series of hate crimes after arriving at their hotel in Coeur d’Alene. Utah and other teams played their games in Spokane, Washington, but the Utes were staying about 35 miles away in Coeur d’Alene.
Roberts said the March 21 incidents left players and coaches so shaken and concerned for their safety that they moved to a different hotel the next day.
Tony Stewart, an official with the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, has said the Utes were walking from their hotel to a restaurant when a pickup truck with a Confederate flag drove up and the driver began using racist language. After the team left the restaurant, the same driver returned “reinforced by others,” Stewart said, and they revved their engines and again yelled at the players.
Utah has said it filed a police report the night of the incidents. Coeur d’Alene police chief Lee White said last week that about 100 people were around the area that night. He has said there are two state charges that could be enforced — malicious harassment and disorderly conduct — if someone is arrested. White also said he was working with the FBI.
Far-right extremists have maintained a presence in the region for years. In 2018, at least nine hate groups operated in the region of Spokane and northern Idaho, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
veryGood! (18)
Related
- Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump’s election looming over talks
- Cardi B Unveils the Unbelievable Dress She Almost Wore to the 2024 Met Gala
- Stock market today: Asian shares mixed after calm day on Wall St
- Missouri teen's Lyft ride to shot, kill 2 siblings then flee leads to arrest: Police
- Jake Paul's only loss led him to retool the team preparing him to face Mike Tyson
- Illinois Lottery announces $4.1 million Lotto winner, third-largest 2024 jackpot in state
- Police clear Pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University, dozens arrested
- Apple event showcases new iPad Air, iPad Pro, Magic Keyboard and other updates
- The ancient practice of tai chi is more popular than ever. Why?
- Oprah Winfrey selects Long Island as newest book club pick
Ranking
- Inter Miami's MLS playoff failure sets stage for Messi's last act, Alexi Lalas says
- Alabama lawmakers approve tax breaks for businesses that help employees afford child care
- Boeing’s first astronaut launch is off until late next week to replace a bad rocket valve
- Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud — the biggest beef in recent rap history — explained
- Keke Palmer Says Ryan Murphy “Ripped” Into Her Over Scream Queens Schedule
- Most FTX customers to get all their money back less than 2 years after catastrophic crypto collapse
- Severe weather threat extends from Michigan to Chicago; tornado reported near Kalamazoo
- Stock market today: Asian shares mixed after calm day on Wall St
Recommendation
-
The USDA is testing raw milk for the avian flu. Is raw milk safe?
-
Tori Spelling Reveals She Welded Homemade Sex Toy for Dean McDermott
-
Chicago Fire's Eamonn Walker Leaving After 12 Seasons
-
Yes, Zendaya looked stunning. But Met Gala was a tone-deaf charade of excess and hypocrisy.
-
Monument erected in Tulsa for victims of 1921 Race Massacre
-
House Republicans will turn to K-12 schools in latest antisemitism probe
-
Susan Buckner, who played cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dies at 72: Reports
-
How Spider-Man Star Jacob Batalon's 100-Pound Weight Loss Transformed More Than His Physique