COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho —
City prosecutors declined to pursue charges against a man who admitted to hurling racist slurs at youth soccer players during a May 12 tournament, according to public records obtained by The Press.
The Nelson Star reported that a witness told police that a beige truck slowed down when passing the soccer field at Coeur d’Alene High School and a passenger yelled “kill Blacks” twice, followed by an unclear insult that ended in the N-word.
Youth players from Nelson, Canada, were warming up on the field at the time, according to a police report.
“Neither soccer teams were wearing black jerseys,” the witness said. “This was clearly targeted at our players of color.”
Police canvassed the neighborhood for surveillance cameras but did not find any that had captured the event. They later identified a vehicle matching the description provided by witnesses, owned by Gavin W. Ruddell.
When contacted by police, Ruddell confirmed he was the driver and identified Cade H. Villanueva as the passenger.
Ruddell initially indicated that he figured police were contacting him “for an incident that occurred downtown,” referring to the March 21 incident when a Post Falls man yelled racist slurs at members of the University of Utah women’s basketball team.
Ruddell told police he and Villanueva were driving past the soccer field when Villanueva yelled the slurs.
“He said he did not know exactly what was said but that Villanueva often does it and it isn’t the first time,” an officer wrote in the police report.
To read the full story, visit our news partner, the Coeur d'Alene Press.
