Acid Attack: Hate Crime Charges Filed In Milwaukee Assault

MILWAUKEE, WI — A 61-year-old Milwaukee man has been arrested and charged after authorities say he's the man responsible for throwing acid into the face of a Hispanic man over a racially charged incident over a parking space in Milwaukee last weekend.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's office has charged Clifton A. Blackwell with first-degree reckless injury, use of a dangerous weapon. The count against him was also filed as a hate crime.

Just after 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, Milwaukee police officers were dispatched to the 2600 block of South 13th Street for a battery complaint.

When police arrived, they found Mahud Villalaz, 42. His face was severely burned, and he was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital Burn Center, where he was treated for second-degree burns to his face, cheek and neck. His left eye was also treated for burns. A chemical test revealed that an acidic substance caused Villalaz's injuries.

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When police asked Villalaz what happened, he first said he was originally from Peru, moved to the United States in 2001 and became a US citizen in 2013. Villalaz told officers he drove to a restaurant, parked his truck in front and began to walk towards the entrance.

As he was approaching the restaurant, a man, later identified though photo array as
Blackwell, yelled at Villalaz that he could not park there because it was close to a bus stop.

Villalaz said Blackwell asked him, “Why did you invade my country?” and “why don’t you respect my laws?”

Villalaz said he then saw Blackwell pull a metal bottle from a satchel on his right side.

At this point, Villalaz realized that he was parked too close to the bus stop. According to police reports, he returned to his truck and moved it to a different parking spot.

He was approaching the restaurant when he said Blackwell confronted him again.

According to the criminal complaint, Blackwell questioned Villalaz, swore at him, told him to go back to his country and called him an “illegal.”

Villalaz told police he responded to Blackwell, calling him a racist person while also swearing back at him. He also told Blackwell that “everyone comes from somewhere first” and that American Indians have been in the country the longest, the criminal complaint stated.

At that moment, Blackwell proceeded to throw unknown liquid from the container into Villalaz's face, according to the police report. The liquid immediately caused pain and burning to his face, cheek, neck and left eye. Villalaz then ran into the restaurant seeking help.

Detectives with Milwaukee Police say they executed a search warrant at Blackwell's residence, and found muriatic acid, four bottles of brand-name Kleen-Out sulfuric acid, two bottles of Kleen-Out drain opener 100 percent lye and Parkerizing cleaner.

Court records posted online indicate Blackwell has been arrested and is now confined in the Milwaukee County Jail on a $10,000 bond. If convicted, Blackwell faces up to 15 years behind bars and up to $100,000 in fines.