A hateful twist to an armed robbery
AND OTHER BELONGINGS, BUT AROBBER ATTEMPTED TO TAKESOMETHING MUCH MORE IMPORTANTAS THE VICTIMS LEFT A TOWSONMALL.
POLICE SAY... HE ROBBEDTHEM... OF THEIR DIGNITY.
WMAR2 NESTORY.(HAGER SâUP) 9:46âJewishteens as targetâBaltimoreCounty police say the robberiesoccurred here outside theTowson Town Center one nighlast weekâ (TRACK) AS FOURTEENS LEFT THE MALL ONTHURSDAY EVENING, POLICE SAY3âYEAâOLD SENECA RICEFOLLOWED BEHIND THEMAPPROACHING THEM WITH BADINTENT.
(SOTâSgt.
VickieWarehime/Baltimore CountyPolice Department 16:03âThesuspect demanded their cellphones, their backpack.
At onepoint, one of the juvenileswent to walk away and thesuspect actually physicallygrabbed that kid to pull himback.
So we know this suspectat the time that he wasdemanding their articles hadknife on his waistbandâ(TRACK) AND HATâFILLED WORSPEWING OUT OF HIS MOUTH.
ONEOF THE TEENS HAD A KIPPAH ONHIS HEAD, AN ITEMTRADITIONALLY WORN BY JEWISHMALES, WHICH THE ROBBERSNATCHED AS WELL.(SOTâHoward Libit/Baltimore Jewish Council 11:34âTo hear that during thecommission of the crime, antâSemitic things were said tothe victims and it sound like,the victims at least believethey were targeted, becausethey were wearing openexpressions of their Jewishfaith, that is of huge concerto all of usâ (NAT SOT) 19:39âWe are in contact with theFBI, because of the articlethat was stolen and themeaning of it to the familyâ(TRACK) FOR NOW, POLICE STOPSHORT OF CALLING IT A HATECRIME.
(SOT) 17:27âIt isbeing investigated as a biasincident, which is ourprotocol for the county.
Ifthe charges through theStateup to the hate crime level,thain our investigationâ (TRACK)BUT ITLEADERS SAY MUST BE PURSUEDWHEN HATRED TURNS THEICHILDREN INTO TARGETS.
(SOT)12:58âIt doesnsomeone necessarily goes froma twâyear prison sentence toa 1âyear prison sentence, buthaving the additionalpunishment of some kind andthe additional stigma thatattached to classifying it asa hate crime is importantItsend to anyone in thecommunity who might bethinking similarlyâ (HAGERSâUP) 10:07âRice will face aseries of charges includingfour counts of robbery and onecount of second degreeassault.
Reporting in Towson,Jeff Hager, WMAR 2 NewsâLET'S CHECK IN