Beating suspects are charged

Two Riverside County men with suspected links to a white supremacist gang have been charged with attempted murder in the Nov. 14 beating of a Latino in Hemet that police described as a hate crime, authorities said Saturday.

The two men, Justin Tyme Hayes, 21, and Darrin Peter Thibault, 24, both from the Hemet-San Jacinto area, were also charged with committing a violent crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang, police said. Hayes was arrested Nov. 18. Thibault was apprehended Friday along with several other suspects after a five-week investigation.

Police also arrested Jack Charles Richardson, 56, and his son, Jack Richardson, 30, on drug charges. They also have ties to the white supremacist gang, police said. Hemet Police Lt. Jeff Pinney said detectives intend to charge additional suspects soon in the beating.

The 19-year-old victim, who nearly died, has been transferred to a long-term-care facility and is expected to have permanent brain damage as a result of the attack.