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With their video camera rolling, a young white couple threw eggs at an Alaska Native man and kicked him, slinging slurs in what appears to have been a racially motivated assault, police said Thursday. During the attack, the victim held his hand out trying to shake the hands of his aggressors, police said.
The assailants, who were arrested Thursday night, recorded the downtown assault in two short clips and posted them on the video-sharing site YouTube, where detectives downloaded them after getting a tip Aug. 5, police Lt. Dave Parker said. The only apparent motive for the attack was that the man was Native. "Apparently they were targeting a Native individual," police Lt. Dave Parker said. "They found him and he became the object of their ire." Charged with assault and harassment are Anchorage residents Robert Gum, 19, and Deanna Powers, 20. They were booked at the Anchorage jail Thursday. Police would not release the video but described it as being recorded on the streets of downtown Anchorage as the pair confronted the Native man, who was not named. The pair had the items used during the assault, including water bottles and eggs, when the video commenced, Parker said. The pair threatened the man, threw things at him and used racial slurs, police said. They pushed and kicked the man, police said. He didn't fight back, just asked to be left alone. The man was apparently not injured badly; he did not report the attack or seek treatment afterwards, Parker said. It took some time to track him down after detectives saw the clips, he said. The video has since been removed. After getting the tip, detectives found the video and began a joint investigation with the FBI, police said. Federal authorities investigate hate crimes and the FBI has special units for such cases. The language used, which officials wouldn't divulge, could elevate the attack to a hate crime, said Denise Morris, president of the Alaska Native Justice Center. Police say the investigation is continuing and they think there are more victims. Gum and Powers were charged with fourth-degree assault and harassment, both misdemeanors, and booked at the Anchorage jail with bail set at $500 for Powers and $1,000 for Gum.