Attacker of elderly Filipino in Las Vegas charged with hate crime

Christian Lentz allegedly beat up Amadeo QuIndara, right, for allegedly speaking Tagalog. SCREENGRABS

A man accused of brutally assaulting an elderly Filipino man will be tried on hate crime-related charges, Clark County, Las Vegas District Attorney Steve Wolfson announced on Friday.

Christian Lentz, 44, accused of beating up Amadeo Quindara, 75, had been detained for felony residential burglary but was released a week after the May 30 incident.

Quindara was left with deep cuts on his head, a black eye and an emotional suffering that he says cannot be treated.

Lentz’s release triggered protests from the public. Lentz now faces charges including residential burglary and elder abuse, perpetrated as hate crimes.

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Quindara was reportedly having a conversation in Tagalog with a friend in his own garage when Lentz allegedly intruded and told him to “speak English.” He then came back the next day and pushed Quindara to ground and punched him several times.

With the new charges, Lentz could face a burglary sentence of a minimum one-year; maximum of 10 years, plus a consecutive sentence of 1 to 10 years.

For elder abuse, he faces a minimum sentence of one year; maximum of 5 years, plus a consecutive sentence of 1 to 5 years. That charge could also result in a maximum fine of $10,000.

Wolfson noted that the court can also treat elder abuse with a hate crime enhancement as a gross misdemeanor, which would carry a maximum jail sentence of 364 days and a maximum $2,000 fine.