A D.C. man has been arrested and charged in an attack on a Jewish man inside a Giant grocery store in Montgomery County, Maryland, and police say the man could face hate crime charges.
The victim told police he was shopping inside the store on Flower Hill Way in Gaithersburg Wednesday afternoon when he saw a group of young men throwing fruit and stealing donuts, and he decided to confront them.
“The victim, you know, approached them and asked them to stop," Montgomery County Police Cpt. Marc Erme said.
According to a charging documents, the victim told police the confrontation turned ugly when he unzipped his jacket in an apparent attempt to defend himself. That's when he says the suspect then noticed a Star of David on a chain around his neck and began taunting him with anti-Semitic remarks.
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The group surrounded him and the suspect, later identified as Eugene Thompson, physically assaulted the victim.
“While being punched, (the victim) stated that he heard members of the group shouting, 'Yeah, do it for Kanye,'" charging documents say.
The victim lost consciousness, police said. Medics took him to a hospital with serious, non-life threatening injuries.
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Officers later arrested Thompson at a McDonald's nearby and found the victim's keys in his possession, police said.
Thompson, who is also known as Michael Stewart, was charged with first-degree assault and other charges related to strong-armed robbery. Police said they're working with the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office on potential hate crime charges.
Thompson is in jail without bond.
