By: ShaCamree Gowdy 

A Washington man has been charged with a felony hate crime for allegedly threatening that he was “going to kill me an (N-word)” during an incident involving a Black man, as reported by Peninsula Daily News’ Rob Ollikainen. 

Samuel Ketchum, 39, is also accused of torching the entry sign at Coast Guard Group Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles and destroying the light that illuminates it. In addition to the hate crime, he has also been charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of attempting to flee a following police car. 

RELATED: Michigan Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Hate Crime Against Black Teen 

Port Angeles police said Ketchum was on a sand spit called Ediz Hook when he repeatedly made the racially motivated death threats. He then drove a pickup toward a Black man in a car who was forced to swerve to avoid being rammed. 

When officers arrived on the scene, they saw the suspect clutching a bottle of vodka before getting into his car and driving away, as reported by KOMO News Staff. A spike strip forced him to slow down, but he once again tried to run away and was detained with the use of a taser. 

In court, Ketchum is said to have repeatedly used the F-word and raising his middle finger, causing the judge to increase his bond amount. 

RELATED: Man Sentenced for Racially Motivated Attacks on Neighbors’ Home in Michigan 

“Mr. Ketchum’s extraordinary disrespect and contempt for the court and this process creates in the court’s mind an extraordinary risk of what he might do when he gets out,” the judge said, as reported by Peninsula Daily News. 

Ketchum, who is scheduled to be arraigned on August 27, has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation in order to evaluate his competency to stand trial.