Michigan man has been charged with three charges including ethnic intimidation after he was alleged to have yelled racial slurs and attacked a Black father at a Staybridge Suites hotel earlier this month.

Joel Venema of Kent County, Michigan allegedly attacked Jackie Beard Jr, while he was with his family on Aug 7. Beard told local news outlet WOOD what happened to him was the “most disturbing thing I have seen in my whole life,” after his encounter with Venema. Sworn testimonies from investigators obtained by the news outlet, said Bear was with his family near the pool when Venema joined the scene.

“He slammed his kids in the pool, and I was like, ‘OK, they are going to be on the wild side,’” Beard said, describing his observations of Venema and his family. Beard said not long afterward he went over to speak to Venema, hoping that he and his kids would distance themselves.

“I was like, whoa. I stepped in there and was like, ‘Could you please take this away from my kids,’” he explained. Venema allegedly started hurling racial slurs at Beard and his three kids.

“He’s like, ‘F you, N-word, F you, N-word. I’m going to kill you, N-word,’” he told reporters. Beard tried to walk away, the man, who is white, jumped on Beard’s back and placed him in a chokehold — and he would later jump on his back once more.

Venema allegedly threatened to kill the man, telling him, “I’m going to kill you, N-word. N-word, you are going to die tonight.’”

Court documents say Venema was intoxicated at the time of the incident. However, even after being taken into custody, he continued to use racial slurs toward a Grand Rapids police officer and another arrestee who was Black.

Beard told the outlet that being called the N-word was a minor offense to him but, “physically putting their hands on me, telling me they are going to die and me kind of blacking out” is something the father said was another issue. “If he got past me, he could have done anything to anyone of those people that was sitting out there (at the pool). And it’s not about Black and white, it’s the same blood; we all bleed the same blood,” he added.

Read more:

The Black Panther Party Free Breakfast for School Children

The Negro Motorist Green Book: Black America’s guide through the Jim Crow era

Mississippi Appendectomy: The decades long practice of sterilizing poor black women