Hate Crime Charges Possible in 2 Antelope Valley Stabbings

The FBI may seek federal hate crime charges against the son of a Lancaster mayoral candidate accused of stabbing and seriously wounding two black men after shouting a barrage of racial epithets in two Antelope Valley taverns.

Sean Delaney, 23, has been charged by the Los Angeles County district attorney with two counts of attempted murder with hate crime enhancements. If convicted, he faces life in state prison.

FBI spokeswoman Cheryl Mimura said the agency joined the investigation immediately after the Feb. 17 knife attacks on Onus Clark, 44, and Shannon Thomas, 37, which witnesses said were unprovoked.

“We’ll work closely with the Lancaster sheriff’s office to monitor their investigation,” she said. If prosecution under state law seems sufficient, the agency may decide not to file additional charges. The maximum prison term under federal hate crime statutes is 10 years, she said.

Delaney is the son of bail bondsman Tom Delaney, one of four candidates in an April 13 mayoral election. The elder Delaney has said his son has “psychological problems that I hope will be brought up in court.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Gordon Carn said Sean Delaney hurled racial slurs at patrons while drinking in the Tipsy Bull and Britisher, neighboring bars on I Street. He was ejected from both establishments but returned and allegedly used a large kitchen knife to stab the men, one at each bar.

The victims were hospitalized for their injuries, but have since been released, Carn said.