Former bar owner charged with civil rights violations in Hyannis
A former Hyannis bar owner was arraigned in court Thursday, accused of a racist attack on a Black man in May.
John C. Shea, 60, of Hyannis, is charged with assault with the intent to intimidate based on race or color, assault and battery with the intent to intimidate based on race or color, intimidation of a witness, and three counts of threats to commit a crime.
The Cape and Islands DA says the charges stem from an incident on May 31 around 11:30 p.m. on Main Street near Embargo Restaurant where Shea allegedly hurled racial slurs and physically assaulted a Black man. The incident was caught on cell phone video and spread on social media.
Shea was the manager of Trader Ed’s, a popular restaurant in the Hyannis Marina, at the time. However, the bar announced just a week after the allegations that Shea had been relieved of his management duties.
He was released on $2,500 bail and the case was continued to July 31 for a pretrial conference in Barnstable Superior Court.
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