The man who stole a teenager’s Make America Great Again hat called the incident a lapse in judgment and said that seeing the cap was like seeing a Ku Klux Klan hood, he told KSAT 12 News.
Kino Jimenez, 30, of San Antonio has been charged with felony theft after the incident at Whataburger in which he dumped a drink on the 16-year-old.
MAGA Hat Alleged Assault/Theft
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Video of a teen being assaulted at a Northeast side Whataburger for wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat is going viral. The teen says it was all unprovoked. Here's what he had to say about the attack: http://bit.ly/2NtmUxx
Posted by News 4 San Antonio on Wednesday, July 4, 2018
KSAT 12 was on the scene as Jimenez left jail after posting bail.
On his way out of jail early Friday morning, he tried at first to avoid a KSAT 12 News camera.
Once the camera was turned off, he spoke briefly, saying what happened was a lapse in judgment that was out of character for him.
Jimenez said seeing the hat had the same effect on him that a Ku Klux Klan hood would have had.
He said since the video went viral, he and his family have been receiving threats.
Jimenez lost his job at a local bar due to the incident and was disowned by his political party, The Green Party of Texas.
The teen, Hunter Richard, posted on social media saying Jimenez can keep the hat. After the incident went viral, the president’s son Donald Trump Jr., offered Richard a new hat signed by the president.
