FBI Investigates A Brutal Hate Crime Against A Native American Family

The FBI are investigating a alleged race hate crime in Lyon County, Nevada. The Bontas Family, members of the Reno Sparks Indian Colony stopped at a gas station on their way to Reno and were harassed by three men at the gas station. The attacks occurred outside a Fernley convenience store at 1 p.m. on May 24. Fernley is located between the Indian Nations of Pyramid Lake Paiute and Fallon Shoshone Paiute.

The Bontas said, they tried to escape the men by driving away and the men followed them causing a crash on the highway and attacked the family. Johny was knocked unconscious with a baseball bat and had his nose and sinus cavity broken, his son-in law suffered a crushed elbow and broken hand.

Indian County Today released a statement by Lisa Bonta

"I saw one of them hit my husband in the head with a bat, and the other one was trying to cut off his braid with a knife," Johnny's wife, Lisa Bonta, said. "Johnny was covered in blood and they just kept hitting him with a crow bar. They even tried to slit his throat."

Lisa said that one of the alleged assailants, Jacob Caswell, taunted the family as police officers began arriving at the scene.

"You hear those cops coming?" he said. "They’re not going to help you. My daddy is a cop in this town, and nothing is going to happen to me. You fucking niggers are going to jail."

When the police arrived they took statements from the three men and arrested Johny for a fine he had owed and took the rest of the family to the hospital. While Johny was in jail they refused him medical treatment for six days and told him he would have to be treated by an Indian doctor.

It was reported by Censored News, that one of the alleged assailant, Josh Janiszewski, bragged about the attack on Facebook.

He wrote, "Just layed the fists and boots to some 6' 5'' tongan dude. what you got on little guys?" and later added, "sent em to the hospital, they got fucked up man, thats for sure."

When asked by another person if they gave them hell, Josh responded. "Oh we did. That's for sure!" at 3:48 pm.

"Amen," said Jacob Cassell at 4:07 pm.

Dee Cassell, the mother said, "So...who has blood? You guys need to come home to mom?" at 4:48 pm.

Then she states she gave them First Aid.

"Better have ur asses at home after I did 1st aid. Don't piss off women - they r worse than men!" Dee Cassell wrote at 8:00 pm.

When asked by another person on Facebook asked if they got "some good licks" in Josh responded.
Josh said, "sent em to the hospital, they got fucked up man, thats for sure."

Lyon County officials are claiming the incident was a mutual fight and was not race related, even though the three men are Neo-Nazis and shouted racial slurs.

Lisa Bonta said nearby tribal police assisted eventually in the release of Johnny Bonta, since no charges were filed. The convenience store clerk told her that there is a video which shows the attackers jumping out of the vehicle with baseball bats, but police had not asked for the video as evidence.

 Supporters of the Bontas set up a Facebook page and Change.org petition after reports of the attack began being published at the end of June.