Ahmaud Arbery Suspects Hit With Federal Charges

Three Georgia men awaiting trial on state charges in the death of Ahmaud Arbery are now facing federal charges as well. The Justice Department announced Wednesday that Travis McMichael; his father, Gregory McMichael; and William "Roddie" Bryan have been indicted by a federal grand jury on hate crime and attempted kidnapping charges in the death of the Black jogger last year. Prosecutors say Arbery, 25, was chased down and killed by the three white men as he jogged through a subdivision near Brunswick in February last year, CNN reports. The federal indictment charges the men with interfering with Arbery's right to use the public street because of his race, reports the New York Times.

The McMichaels allegedly "chased Arbery through the public streets of the neighborhood while yelling at him, using their truck to cut off his route, and threatening him with firearms," and Bryan allegedly "joined the chase and used his truck to cut off Arbery's route," the Justice Department said in a statement. Trial dates have not been set for the federal charges or for state charges including felony murder. The McMichaels, who initially claimed to have been acting in self-defense, were not charged until months after the killing, when video of the incident caused an outcry. They told police they thought Arbery was a burglar. Bryan, who recorded the killing, was charged weeks later. (The McMichaels have asked a judge to bar prosecutors from describing Arbery as a victim.)