‘Egregious assault’: White students who yelled the N-word as part of a ‘game’ now facing potential jail time

Jarred Karal and Ryan Mucaj were arrested by university police and charged Monday with a hate crime after the pair were playing a “game” in which they shouted the N-word with increasing volume. They were caught on camera by someone filming from nearby student housing while they walked through a parking lot at night. The two were accompanied by a third person who police said did not say the racial slur.

Connecticut law dictates that “Any person who, by his advertisement, ridicules or holds up to contempt any person or class of persons, on account of the creed, religion, color, denomination, nationality or race of such person or class of persons, shall be guilty of a class D misdemeanor.”

The pair now face up to 30 days in jail and a $50 fine for their conduct. A spokesperson for the university said that they were looking at additional punishments for the students, which could include expulsion.

Student protests led to the arrest after hundreds gathered Monday to chant, “It’s more than just a word.” The university has known about the video since Oct. 11.

“Injustice anywhere is injustice,” David Embrick, a sociology professor at the protest, said about the incident. “White supremacy is terrorism,” he added.