Originally Posted by
Rex G
I
Objects thrown from vehicles that cause injury are prosecuted around here. Minor injuries merit a Class A misdemeanor, which is up to one year in jail, plus fine. If a bone is broken, or other serious injury occurs, it is a felony. Yelling a statement that indicates a hate crime will bump it up one degree. A thrown cookie, that left a welt on a pedestrian, resulted in a third-degree felony that way, a while back, in a Houston PD case, because the bad guy yelled an anti-gay statement. Bicyclists are not a "protected" category, so there is no upgrading of the charge simply because the victim is riding a bike.
Do you have a cite for that case? In the past, the Harris County D.A. has been reluctant to prosecute under the bias law. I've not been aware of it being used in Harris County, nor much of the rest of the state.