Illinois Professor Charged For Allegedly Spitting On Black Woman Outside Grocery Store, Using Racial Slurs

An Illinois professor who was accused of allegedly spitting on a Black woman and using racial slurs against her and her young daughter was charged with a hate crime.

Alberto Friedmann, 53, allegedly carried out the attack on Sept. 2 outside a suburban Chicago grocery store in the Oak Park area of the city. Friedmann teaches Neuro-Kinesiology at the National University of Health Sciences in Chicago, according to New York Daily News.

Friedmann reportedly has also been charged with felony aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.

On the day of the alleged incident, the unidentified Black woman was with her 7-year-old daughter inside her car which was parked along the traffic lane near the Jewel-Osco store, CBS Chicago reported. They were waiting for the woman's mother to finish her shopping but the car wasn't blocking traffic, according to the outlet.

The Black woman then suddenly heard someone yelling and honking from behind and turned to see Friedmann in his vehicle. He demanded the woman move her car and also called her the N-word, the outlet reported, citing prosecutors.

According to court records obtained by NBC News, the woman heard Friedmann yelling "Move your f****ing car." The victim then motioned for him to drive around her but he continued to yell slurs at her.

At this point, the victim attempted to exit her car but Friedmann pushed the door shut and reportedly spat in her face. The accused allegedly told the woman that "he doesn’t like Black people."

The victim then exited her car to get Friedmann's license plate and pleaded with onlookers to call the police. The woman also tried to deter him from driving away by throwing a water bottle at his car.

Angered, Friedman accelerated his car toward the woman, nearly striking her. Prosecutors alleged in the court that the accused was just inches away from hitting the victim with his car.

Friedmann admitted to spitting on the woman and striking her car. He was released on $2,500 bail after his arrest on Sept. 18.

"We take allegations of misconduct seriously, and therefore have suspended Alberto Friedmann pending the results of a university investigation," the National University of Health Sciences told NBC Chicago in a statement.