Montgomery County Police detectives have arrested one member of a group of thugs that jumped a Jewish shopper who asked them to stop throwing food and stealing doughnuts at a local Giant supermarket on January 25th.
“The adult male victim stated that he was shopping inside the store when he observed Thompson along with a group of male suspects acting disorderly. When the victim approached the suspects and asked them to stop, the suspects surrounded the victim, with Thompson making anti-Semitic statements towards him. Thompson then is alleged to have begun physically assaulting the victim, causing him to lose consciousness. Thompson and the other suspects then left the store. The victim’s keys were taken following the assault,” Montgomery County police said in a release.
The victim, whose name was withheld at his request, told the Washington DC affiliate of NBC News that the thugs began yelling obscenities at him. “Fight him, fight him!” the victim said they yelled.
When he unzipped his jacket to be able to maneuver better, one of the thugs saw the victim’s Star of David, and said, “Let’s go Jew,” according to the victim’s account.
“They ganged up on me and they said, ‘Get him for Kanye,’” the victim related. Tackled by four people, the victim was repeatedly punched.
“Sixth District officers and Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel provided medical treatment to the victim, who was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.
Those injuries included a broken nose and a serious concussion.
Last year prominent rapper Kanye West – now known as “Ye” – became the standard-bearer for antisemitic hate after posting a rash of antisemitic tropes on his social media accounts and sharing wild antisemitic conspiracy theories in media interviews. He also threatened violence against Jews in posts on social media and praised Adolf Hitler.
Eugene Thompson (aka Michael Stewart), a 30-year-old resident of Washington DC, was subsequently arrested and changed with first-degree assault and strong-armed robbery-related offenses. He is being held without bond.
“Detectives from the 6th District Investigative Section continue to investigate this incident and will work with the Mongtomery County State’s Attorney’s Office regarding additional Hate Crime charges,” the police added.
A $5,000 reward is being offered by the Washington DC Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gang of thugs.
