Man, 29, Convicted Of Hate Crime In Orange County: Courts

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A 29-year-old man pleaded guilty to a racially driven attack on a man at a center for transients in Garden Grove, according to court records obtained Wednesday.

John Gregory Bilyk pleaded guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor counts of assault with a deadly weapon and violation of civil rights. Over the objections of prosecutors, Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig Robison reduced a felony count of assault with a deadly weapon to a misdemeanor as part of a plea deal.

Robison sentenced Bilyk to 90 days in jail, or time he already earned credit for while participating in a 90-day residential treatment program, according to court records. He was placed on one year of informal probation.

Bilyk, who is white, attacked the man, who is Black, the morning of May 10 outside of the navigation center at 13871 West St., police said. The defendant struck the victim with a crutch while insulting the man with racial slurs, police said.

The two were previously acquainted at the center, police said.