CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Gaston County man was sentenced Thursday to 3 1/2 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to threatening customers because of their race at a NoDa pizza restaurant.
Last August, 32-year-old Maurice Hopkins pleaded guilty to one count of interference with federally protected activities from the 2024 incident, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Western North Carolina announced.
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According to filed court documents and the sentencing hearing, on June 8, 2024, Hopkins threatened eight individuals with a loaded AR-15-style rifle inside Zambies Pizza. When the Mount Holly man first encountered the victims, he asked if they were American.
Hopkins then called the victims terrorists, demanding they speak English and go back to their country, and made other statements because of their race, color, religion and national origin…