JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (Editor's Note: The video above is from a previous report)
The man who allegedly attacked a woman while inside a BP gas station in Jacksonville entered a plea of not guilty Monday.
Kevin Williamson, 59, was arrested on May 21. His charge has since been upgraded to felony battery.
The assault, was caught on video, and has since gone viral, with many organizations claiming that the assault should be considered a hate crime.
On Monday, Williamson stood before a judge to plead not guilty. He was also assigned a public defender. His next court date is Aug. 4.
A report from JSO says police when arrived to serve a warrant at Williamson's residence on May 20, they say he spontaneously uttered, "did you watch the whole video? She hit me first."
First Coast News spoke to Rayme McCoy, the victim, after the incident.
"I went in BP to get gas and I was walking in...there was a guy arguing with an Indian guy and when I walked around him to go inside, he came in after me and was basically yelling 'y'all kind, you need to go back where you came from,'" McCoy recalled. "I'm pushing his beers away from me and once I pushed the beers away from me, he started punching me in my head."
An arrest report states that Williamson told police he was not guilty and that he was attacked by McCoy. He also told police he "was in a Black town" and asked what else was he supposed to do.
He says that McCoy hit several canned items off the shelf in front of him that struck his side and also hit his foot. He told police this is what 'set him off'. He also told police he did not make any racial comments toward McCoy.
McCoy says the items on the counter were beers, and they had been set directly in front of her.
The report says that Williamson told them it was not an unprovoked attack, as he believed that MCCoy wanted to hit him.