The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office shared new details Wednesday on what a Fairport man is calling a racially motivated hate crime. A Wayne County man has been charged with second-degree attempted murder and assault for the incident.

In photos shared to social media from a hospital bed, Dylan Ghaemi of Fairport appeared battered, bruised and bandaged.

He said he was the victim of a brutal attack Monday on the Indian Hill Trail off Route 31 in Perinton.

Police said Derrick Van Epps, age 30, of Palmyra, randomly stabbed another hiker on the trail multiple times.

"The suspect is new to law enforcement," said Investigator Sergeant David Bolton from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. "We have no criminal record that we can find, so we really don’t have any idea."

Bolton said there were no witnesses to the attack, but a park security officer heard commotion and followed Van Epps, who drove to Egypt Park, just down the road, after the attack — while the victim ran to a nearby neighborhood for help.

"It’s impossible. What would have prompted the attack, right?" said Bolton. "I mean, he’s out. The victim is out having his normal workout. He works out in that park frequently. The defendant in this case also frequents that park. What happened that day to cause it? I can’t really be sure. What I do know is that something made the defendant decide that he was going to go and attack that victim."

"This was not random," Ghaemi tweeted. "I was targeted because of my skin color. I am healing. I am watching, and I will not let this slide."

"We look into all the factors in the investigation as to what may have led to the crime," said Bolton. "We’re currently investigating that to try to determine the answers. There are a lot of factors that could play into the suspect’s motivation."

Van Epps was arraigned on charges of second-degree attempted murder and assault. He is being held in the Monroe County Jail on $50,000 cash bail and is due back in court Friday.

Information courtesy of 13WHAM a Times news partner.