Only on 13: Houston Marine veteran almost hit with car in racially charged attack, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A west Houston man was arrested after police say he shouted racial slurs at one of his neighbors and tried to run him over.

Jessie Ruffer, 64, is charged with aggravated assault in connection with the case.

Blaine McShall, a Marine veteran, said he had briefly stepped off the sidewalk to avoid a puddle while walking home down Winsome Lane Monday afternoon.

"I walked out in the street just enough around a parked car," McShall told Eyewitness News.

That's when he said Ruffer "swerved really close to me."

McShall avoided being run over but couldn't avoid the barrage of six-letter slurs that he says followed.

"What he said was, 'If you want to walk in the street like a (n-word), I'll run you down like a (n-word),'" McShall said. "And of course, that was surprising."

McShall said he didn't respond to the verbal onslaught and instead called police.

Ruffer was released on a $20,000 bond, but didn't answer when Eyewitness News knocked at his door.

He's already fighting a terroristic threat charge stemming from a 2022 case. Police said he called an Arab neighbor a terrorist and threatened to kill him and the man's dog.

Ruffer has been ordered to stay 200 feet away from McShall, who said he wants Ruffer to know his alleged language and conduct are unacceptable.

"I was just more taken aback by the fact that he actually said that after trying to literally run me over in a car," McShall said.

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