90 Days in Jail Given for Hitting Vietnamese Youth

WESTMINSTER — A Fountain Valley man who pleaded guilty Tuesday to punching a Vietnamese youth in the face because of his race was sentenced to 90 days in jail by a judge who called the attack “despicable.”

Ryan Brozda, 18, of Fountain Valley was charged with violating the civil rights of a 17-year-old from Westminster. The 17-year-old had been walking home just after midnight Saturday from a skating rink when Brozda and two others assaulted him, punching him in the face and using racial slurs, police said.

Brozda, Christopher Dunn, 18, and his brother, James Dunn, 19, both of Fountain Valley, were arrested when Fountain Valley police officers saw the three chasing the Westminster High School student near the intersection of Magnolia Street and Heil Avenue, police said.

According to court documents, the attackers said they decided to single out a Vietnamese for punishment following an earlier confrontation with a group of Vietnamese youths that was also broken up by police.

At Brozda’s arraignment, Deputy Dist. Atty. Paul McBride requested a 180-day sentence for Brozda, arguing that the crime was serious and motivated only by the victim’s race.

Judge Donald S. Macintyre said in Westminster Municipal Court that he would sentence Brozda to three months in jail for his guilty plea. Brozda stood silently as Macintyre lectured him.

“I read the report and just so you understand, it’s despicable,” said Macintyre, who also placed Brozda on probation for three years. “It’s just wrong what you did, and you have to change your thinking when you get out.”

The Dunn brothers also have been charged with violating the youth’s civil rights, a misdemeanor, and James Dunn was charged with two additional misdemeanors in the attack. The Dunns were released from Orange County Jail on Sunday after posting bond, officials said. Their arraignments are pending.

McBride said outside of court that the hate-crime case was filed as a misdemeanor after a review of the victim’s injuries and the background of the defendants.

“We took a long, careful review of this case and based on all the facts we had at the time of filing, decided that it should be filed as a misdemeanor,” McBride said.

According to court records, the defendants told police that they attacked the youth only because of his nationality.

Brozda and the Dunns told the police they were threatened by a group of Vietnamese youths shortly before midnight Saturday near the intersection of Brookhurst Street and Slater Avenue, according to court records.

Fountain Valley police who arrived to quell the confrontation were told by the Vietnamese youths that Brozda and the Dunn brothers were calling them racist names, according to court records.

Brozda’s father, John Brozda, said outside his home Tuesday that he cannot understand why his son would attack someone because of race. John Brozda said his son had an argument with police a few weeks ago over being drunk in public but has never had any problems of a racial nature.