A tourist from Texas allegedly punched a man in Florida’s Okaloosa County after his children pet the tourist’s dog.

The incident: Wade Anton, a 54-year-old tourist from Forney, Texas, reportedly made racist comments toward a woman and her children of Asian descent at around 4:15 p.m. at Okaloosa Island’s John Beasley Park on Thursday, telling them to “go back where they came from,” according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

• Anton said he asked the children to stop petting his dog, but they ignored him, reported WEAR-TV.

• The situation escalated into a public altercation, with the tourist spewing anti-Asian remarks.

• Anton rushed toward the woman’s husband, who was about 25 feet away, and repeatedly punched him.

• Bystanders intervened and separated the two men.

Currently awaiting his hearing, Anton has been charged with hate crime-related battery and is being held on a $10,000 bond at the Okaloosa Department of Corrections, reported ABC News.

Featured Image via Alison Pang on Unsplash

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