James Alex Fields Jr., was accused of driving his car into a crowd on purpose at a the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in August 2017.

The driver charged with killing a woman at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville was previously accused of beating his mother and threatening her with a knife, according to police records released Monday.

The picturesque college town of Charlottesville morphed into the site of a race riot, prompting questions about whether Donald Trump's presidency has inflamed racial tensions.