An 82-year-old Washington woman was arrested around 1 p.m. He was charged with a hate crime Monday after assaulting two Trump supporters, police said.
The alleged victims, 55-year-old Gina Powell and 66-year-old Mary Jennings, were waving signs and flags supporting former President Donald Trump. The two were reportedly cheering for Trump on the streets of Edmonds, Washington, the day before the 2024 presidential election, when they encountered an elderly woman.
“She made it clear that it was my skin color.”
police body camera footage show The suspect had a “Harris Waltz 2024” button on his vest.
Race seems to be part of the problem for Kamala Harris supporters versus women who support Trump.
Powell — Hispanic — said KTTH host Jason Lantz said, “She looked me in the face and said, 'I can't believe you would vote for a racist…Shame on you for doing that. 'Know it.'
“I was just shocked by the presence of mind, and she made it very clear that it was the color of my skin,” Powell added.
“I approached her and said I wanted to know why she was voting for Trump,” the anonymous 82-year-old woman told police. That's it. and. And you said it's because you have brown skin. ”
The suspect allegedly told Trump supporters, “Do you know what will happen to people like you if Trump is elected?''
Women “should know better,” she is quoted as saying.
This was announced by the Edmonds Police Department. statement “During the incident, the suspect indicated the victim's race and their political beliefs, prompting him to approach them and yell at them about his opinions before assaulting them,” the statement said Wednesday.
“When officers contacted the suspect, he stated that he did not understand why a person of color would support this particular candidate,” police said. “The suspect made comments about the victim's clothing and skin color before pushing him and punching him in the jaw.”
At the time of the alleged confrontation, Powell was wearing a T-shirt that read “Pro God, Pro Gun, Pro Life, Pro Trump.”
Mr. Powell said: como The suspect allegedly shoved her and “pushed her back.”
Mr. Powell then allegedly told the woman, “Please don't touch me.”
“And within a second, she punched me in the jaw,” Powell explained.
The suspect told police that he pushed her away and put his hand on her chin.
Jennings allegedly tried to get between the two women and she was assaulted as well.
Jennings said the older woman punched her in the jaw and “slammed” her in the jaw.
The Trump supporters did not require medical treatment for the alleged attack. However, Ms Powell said she was unable to return to work yet as she was “still in a state of shock”.
The Edmonds Police Department said the suspect was “very active and at one point attempted to shove the officer while demonstrating his actions.”
During the investigation, police stated that the suspect “continues to show no remorse for the incident and may continue to act against others in the future.”
Officers established probable cause for the hate crime arrest.
KOMO reported that the suspect has not been charged, but a judge announced Tuesday that he found probable cause for a hate crime crime and two counts of fourth-degree assault.
The 82-year-old woman was booked into the Snohomish County Jail.
“The Constitution protects peaceful assembly in our communities, and community members should never be met with violence when exercising that right,” said Edmonds Police Chief Michelle Bennett. “We properly determined that this was more than just an assault and arrested the suspect on the appropriate charges.” charging. “
Mayor Mike Rosen said: “We are disappointed that such an act of violence occurred in our community. Elections are an important part of society and freedom of expression is the foundation on which democracy is built. Peacefully. No member of the community expressing political support should be subjected to hateful violence. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries and the suspect was held accountable.”
Powell said the alleged physical incident would not deter him from publicly supporting Trump.
“He got shot and said, 'Fight, fight, fight,' and he's not sitting down because he got a little stab in the jaw,” Powell said, referring to the assassination attempt on President Trump. Election rally held in Pennsylvania in July.
Edmonds police said they did not release news of the arrest until after the election to avoid causing further political tension.
You can view police body camera video of the arrest here.
Do you like Blaze News? Avoid censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. Register here!
