CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A suspected gang member was arrested early Thursday in connection with an August incident in which he is accused of punching a 51-year-old woman in what police called a hate crime.

Jermaine Hines Jr., 24, was arrested about 2 a.m. Thursday. Police have not released information regarding the circumstances surrounding his arrest. He will be held in the Cleveland City Jail until his first court appearance on Friday.

Hines is charged with ethnic intimidation, a fifth-degree felony.

Hines attacked the woman "simply because she was white," according to court records. The woman does not know Hines, who a detective said in court records is affiliated with an unnamed street gang.

The woman "is in constant fear because (Hines) has been seen walking around her neighborhood, and she fears he will attack her or some other person simply because of the color of their skin," court records say.

The attack happened about 5:45 p.m. Aug. 21 in the 2900 block of Archwood Avenue in the city's Brooklyn Centre neighborhood.

Hines walked up to the woman without saying anything and punched her, knocking her to the ground, police said. The attack was entirely unprovoked, court records say.

Hines then yelled at the woman and accused her of being in the Ku Klux Klan. He also said she was a "white supremacist," according to police. The woman told police she had no affiliation to the KKK or any white supremacist group, according to police reports.

The woman walked to her home, called police and told her 21-year-old son what happened, police said. The two then walked back, found Hines and took a cellphone photo of him.

Hines saw the 21-year-old man take the photo, knocked the phone from his hand and cracked the screen, police reports say.

Hines then accused the woman's son of being involved in the KKK. The 21-year-old also told police he had no affiliation with the hate group.

Several other people who stood nearby heard the man's accusations and threatened the mother and son, according to police reports.

The duo ran off and called police again.

Hines has several prior convictions for possessing drugs, receiving stolen property and drug dealing.

To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page.