Indian students were threatened because of their race in 2024 at a NoDa pizza shop.
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Eight Indian graduate students gathered inside Zambies pizzeria at the tail end of a night in NoDa when a man demanded they speak English and told them to “go back to their country” before brandishing an AR-15, according to federal court documents.
That man, 32-year-old Maurice Hopkins, was sentenced to more than three years in prison in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on Thursday afternoon. Federal prosecutors found that he targeted the people, who had student visas, because of their race, color, religion and national origin. Hopkins first said the group didn’t belong here, threatened to punch them and then threatened to kill them.
The students’ lives forever changed that day, prosecutors said. All but one returned to India, saying they didn’t feel safe in Charlotte. Most never left campus again. They all declined to continue to be involved in the case because they feared the defendant, prosecutors said.
Hopkins was originally charged with interfering with federally protected activities, interfering with federally protected housing rights and having a firearm during the incident. In a plea deal, prosecutors with U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson’s Office dropped the last two charges.
Prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn to sentence Hopkins to 48 months. Hopkins’ federal public defender asked for 36 months. She told Cogburn that Hopkins was in a mental health crisis and had “wholly adopted … vitriol being repeated by [President Donald] Trump or whoever” at the time of the June 8, 2024, incident.
He has since gotten mental health treatment and has transformed into a new man, she said.
Hopkins, speaking to Cogburn, said he took courses on anger management and anti-discrimination law while in jail and read the Bible and “The Art of Happiness” by the Dalai Lama. He compared his impending time in prison to the half-time of a football game, saying he wants to come out with a new game plan for his life.
Cogburn added three years of supervision to his sentence and ordered that he continue mental health treatment during that time.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 3:57 PM.
Julia Coin covers courts, legal issues, police and public safety around Charlotte and is part of the Pulitzer-finalist team that covered Tropical Storm Helene in North Carolina. As the Observer’s breaking news reporter, she unveiled how fentanyl infiltrated local schools. Michigan-born and Florida-raised, she studied journalism at the University of Florida, where she covered statewide legislation, sexual assault on campus and Hurricane Ian in her hometown of Sanibel Island. Support my work with a digital subscription
A brilliant college student is killed by a former classmate. Inside the trial of the secret neo-Nazi prosecutors say murdered Blaze because he was gay and Jewish. “48 Hours” correspondent Tracy Smith reports.
A New Year’s Day break in led to damage in City Hall rotunda, broken windows and the destruction of a menorah display, Mayor Karen Bass says
A Los Angeles man was arrested for smashing into City Hall, where he allegedly went on a destructive rampage, breaking windows and destroying a historic menorah in the building on loan for the holidays, Mayor Karen Bass said.
Bass emphasized that she does not believe the menorah vandalization constituted a hate crime, but that she was “deeply disturbed” that the Katowicz menorah on display in the third-floor rotunda was damaged. Bass said that windows, a glass display case, and computer equipment were also damaged in the break-in.
“While there is no indication that the vandalism to the menorah was a hate crime, I was deeply disturbed that this historic menorah was damaged,” Bass said. “I personally called the Cunin family, who each year generously loan the menorah to City Hall and the people of Los Angeles, to inform them of the incident.
Police have arrested a suspect, Jose Gonzalez Chavez, who is now awaiting charges pending a mental health evaluation. It is unclear how Chavez was able to not only access a sensitive building, but to create havoc for such a long period of time, which led the Mayor to say that she has ordered a full evaluation of security at City Hall.”
BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey is vowing that her administration will move quickly to implement recommendations in a new report on antisemitism in Massachusetts, which found an “alarming” increase in hate crimes and discrimination targeting Jewish people over the past year.
The report by the Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism, released earlier this month, said hate crimes against Jewish students in the state have risen dramatically while gaps in anti-bias training and a lack of centralized reporting in public schools mean many incidents of antisemitism go unaddressed.
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AN IMMIGRATION DETAINER ON HIM. WE HAVE OTHER NEWS RIGHT NOW. FAIRFIELD MAN IS FACING HATE CRIME CHARGES TONIGHT AFTER POLICE SAY THAT A STUDENT WAS ATTACKED ON HER WAY TO SCHOOL. THIS HAPPENED YESTERDAY MORNING ON DAHLIA STREET. THAT’S NEAR FAIRFIELD HIGH SCHOOL. POLICE SAY THAT THE STUDENT WAS ATTACKED BY 37 YEAR OLD VICTOR CHAVEZ. INVESTIGATORS SAY THAT CHAVEZ USED VULGAR, RACIST LANGUAGE BEFORE ASSAULTING THAT GIRL. A NEIGHBOR SAYS SHE SAW WHAT HAPPENED AND GOT THE GIRL TO SCHOOL, AND THEN SHE IMMEDIATELY REPORTED THE CRIME. CHAVEZ WAS EVENTUALLY FOUND AND ARRESTED THIS MORNING. HE’S BEEN CH
Fairfield man, 37, arrested on hate crime charges after teen girl assaulted while walking to school
A 37-year-old Fairfield man has been arrested and faces hate crime charges in connection with the assault of a teen girl who was walking to school, police said.Fairfield High School staff were alerted after the attack on Wednesday and school resource officers responded to assist the victim, police said. Investigators determined the student was walking near the 300 block of Dahlia Street when the man, identified as Victor Viera Chavez, confronted her with “vulgar, race-based language before physically assaulting her, reportedly due to her perceived immigration status.”A witness helped the girl to school and Fairfield police launched a hate crime investigation. Police’s Youth Services Unit detained Chavez the next morning as he was leaving his home. He was booked for assault, child endangerment and hate crime charges.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
FAIRFIELD, Calif. —
A 37-year-old Fairfield man has been arrested and faces hate crime charges in connection with the assault of a teen girl who was walking to school, police said.
Fairfield High School staff were alerted after the attack on Wednesday and school resource officers responded to assist the victim, police said.
Investigators determined the student was walking near the 300 block of Dahlia Street when the man, identified as Victor Viera Chavez, confronted her with “vulgar, race-based language before physically assaulting her, reportedly due to her perceived immigration status.”
A witness helped the girl to school and Fairfield police launched a hate crime investigation.
Police’s Youth Services Unit detained Chavez the next morning as he was leaving his home. He was booked for assault, child endangerment and hate crime charges.
About three weeks ago, laminated racist flyers were scattered in several St. Paul neighborhoods, according to St. Paul Police.
Residents say the flyers were filled with hateful language targeting the African American community.
Officers quickly flooded the area and worked to clean up the flyers. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made as of Wednesday.
“To see that kind of rhetoric, to see that vile hatred to call these flyers, racist is an understatement,” said Justin Lewandowski, from Hamline Midway Coalition (HMC).
Despite the shock and hurt, community members gathered inside Bethlehem Lutheran Church to stand together and reject hate.
“It’s an opportunity to meet challenge with joy meet fear with connection,” Lewandowski said.
City leaders, neighbors and community groups echoed a message of unity throughout the evening while emphasizing that St. Paul is a city where everyone should feel welcome.
Mayor Melvin Carter also stopped gathering, saying the intimidation will not work and reminded people how connected everyone is.
“We can’t erase the fact that evil exists, but we can respond to it with beauty,” Carter said.
From the podium to the pews, the message was clear; unity always wins.
Two years after the October 7th attacks in Israel, there remains a strong wave of hate in America.
According to the FBI, nearly 70% of reported religious-based hate crimes targeted Jews in 2024, a stark contrast to how Jews only make up 2% of the U.S. population.
“We are already at the highest state of security that we can possibly be at,” Ethan Roberts, Deputy Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, explained to WCCO News. “Security is multi-layered as always. It’s the partnership of local law enforcement. It’s private security, it’s of course JCRC security. It’s the awareness that we ask of all the congregants.”
“We’re seeing more vandalism, we’re seeing more arson, we’re seeing more violence,” Kris Moloney, an army veteran and current church security consultant, lamented to WCCO News. “Churches have kind of had to be a little more intentional about what they do to ensure their guests and visitors and congregants are safer.”
Moloney said his Minnesota-based firm advises houses of worship across the country, said he encourages communities to establish security committees to gameplan for services and events.
“You know all this stuff can be done by, shall we say, normal people – not law enforcement, not military – just normal people can make all the difference in the world by paying attention.”
Jonah Kaplan is an award-winning journalist who has built a strong reputation for his balanced reporting, thoughtful interviews, and deeply researched coverage of high-impact issues affecting the community. His work appears on all of WCCO’s newscasts and is often featured on CBS News’ programs and platforms, including the CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings and CBS 24/7.
A Muslim mother and her children were attacked on May 19, 2024, by a white woman at an apartment complex swimming pool in Euless, Texas, authorities said. The defendant, Elizabeth Wolf, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to attempted murder and injury to a child.
Elizabeth Wolf last week also pleaded guilty in a state district court in Tarrant County to an injury to a child offense and was sentenced to the equivalent of five years in prison in the water submersion of Salma Dawoud. Wolf received credit for the time she has already served in jail.
Adhering to a plea agreement that the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office reached with Wolf, Judge Andy Porter, who presides in Criminal District Court No. 4, sentenced the defendant.
Wolf pleaded true to the special-issue hate-crime allegation that she intentionally targeted Salma and her brother, Yusef Dawoud, because of Wolf’s bias or prejudice against Muslims or people of Middle Eastern descent.
The district attorney’s office waived the indictment’s top offense, attempted capital murder of a person under 10, which would have carried a sentence of between five to 99 years, or life, in prison.
Wolf is 43. She tried to drown the 3-year-old girl at an apartment pool in Euless on May 19, 2024. Wolf, who witnesses said was intoxicated, made racist comments before trying to drown the girl, according to police and the child’s mother.
The 3-year-old and her 6-year-old brother were in the shallow end of the swimming pool at the apartments, watched by their mother, Dar Salem Hadeel, on May 19 when Wolf approached and asked the mother where she was from, according to police and witnesses. The mother was wearing a hijab and speaking Arabic to her children.
The mother said that Wolf jumped into the pool and pulled the children to the deep end, where she attempted to drown both.
Police have said that Wolf attempted to grab the 6-year-old boy, but he managed to get away. The 6-year-old is the victim of the injury to a child charge.
The mother went to help her son, but Wolf grabbed the 3-year-old girl and forced her under the water, authorities said.
Wolf is accused of kicking at the mother as she tried to get to her daughter and pulling off her hijab, hitting her with it, according to the Council on American Islamic Relations. A man jumped into the water and helped rescue the girl from Wolf.
Wolf was approached by Euless police officers as she tried to leave and placed under arrest, initially for public intoxication. As Wolf was being handcuffed by police, she shouted, “I will kill her, and I will kill her whole family,” a witness told the Texas chapter of CAIR, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.
Wolf’s actions received condemnation from elected officials including Texas House District 92 Rep. Salman Bhojani of Euless and then President Joe Biden.
Defense attorneys Tim Choy and Kara Carreras did not respond to questions that a reporter submitted via email.
Emerson Clarridge covers crime and other breaking news for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He works days and reports on law enforcement affairs in Tarrant County. He previously was a reporter at the Omaha World-Herald and the Observer-Dispatch in Utica, New York.
A 38-year-old man was arrested in North Carolina this week and charged with the “hate-based” murder of a transgender woman in Northeast D.C. in July, officials said.
A 38-year-old man was arrested in North Carolina this week and charged with the “hate-based” murder of a transgender woman in Northeast D.C. in July, officials said.
With help from tips and FBI technology, Edgar Arrington was arrested by U.S. Marshals and charged with first-degree murder while armed. He’s accused of shooting and killing 28-year-old Daquane “Dream” Johnson near the Benning Market Store over the summer.
“You don’t know what you did to this family,” Vanna Terrell, Johnson’s aunt, told WTOP. “You don’t know what you did to my sister. You don’t know what you did to her siblings. You don’t know how this affected our whole family.”
Charging documents describe the sequence of events that led to the shooting before 1 a.m. on July 5. A witness who had parked nearby to go to the store told police they watched Johnson approach a group and greet Arrington. The witness then told investigators that Johnson responded, “I’m a female, don’t play with me. I’ll put you down.”
Arrington, according to the witness, then said, “Well if you saying you not, I’ma shoot you.”
Court records said the witness was confused about why there was an argument about gender, and the witness heard somebody other than Arrington say, “No disrespect but you are a male.”
The witness told investigators Johnson “wasn’t having it and appeared ready to fight.” Shortly after, the witness said it got quiet and they looked back and watched Arrington pull out a gun and shoot Johnson.
The witness called police four days after the shooting.
Johnson had four gunshot wounds, three to the chest and one to the right shoulder, officials said. She was taken to the hospital after the shooting and was pronounced dead.
Two different witnesses who were walking nearby thought Johnson might have overdosed or been under the influence. They both noticed blood and dialed 911. They also located an officer nearby.
Using tips, surveillance video and help from the FBI, Arrington was arrested by U.S. Marshals and charged with the “hate-based murder,” documents said.
Meanwhile, Terrell said Johnson’s mom has had difficulty working and focusing since the shooting.
“Her kids are so traumatized,” Terrell said. “They have to go to school, and some of their friends are still talking about it.”
Johnson was going to start the process of legally changing her name, Terrell said.
“Dream was full of life,” Terrell said. “Dream was vibrant. Dream just loved to live. If you’ve seen Dream, Dream always had a smile on her face.”
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Tyler Robinson, the Utah man charged with assassinating Charlie Kirk, was afraid of being shot by police and agreed to surrender as long as it was done peacefully, a sheriff involved with taking him into custody said Wednesday.Robinson appeared quiet and somber when he turned himself in with his parents last Thursday at the Washington County Sheriff’s office, a day after Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University, said Sheriff Nate Brooksby.”He didn’t want a big SWAT team at his parent’s house or his apartment,” said the sheriff, who was only involved with the surrender and not the broader investigation. “He was truly fearful about being shot by law enforcement.”On Tuesday, prosecutors charged the 22-year-old Robinson with capital murder and announced they will seek the death penalty while revealing a series of incriminating messages and DNA evidence that they say connect Robinson to the killing of Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and confidant of President Donald Trump.Utah Valley University students returning to campus Wednesday clustered silently, staring down at the barricaded courtyard where an assassin struck down conservative activist Charlie Kirk in an attack that upended the nation.Care stations offering stuffed animals, candy and connections to counseling dotted the campus on the first day of classes since the shooting more than a week ago.Matthew Caldwell, 24, said his classmates were quieter and seemed more genuine about being in class, even with sadness still in the air.”The way that we treat each other in our words can ultimately lead to things like this,” he said. “And I think everybody sort of understands that a little bit better now.”Since the shooting, the Republican president has threatened to crack down on what he calls the “radical left” and has classified some groups as domestic terrorists. Former Democratic President Barack Obama said this week that Trump has further divided the country rather than working to bring people together.On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee called on the chief executives of Discord, Steam, Twitch and Reddit to testify on how they are regulating their platforms to prevent violence.”Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence,” said GOP Rep. James Comer, the committee chair, signaling a shift for congressional Republicans, who had previously scrutinized online platforms for policing free speech.Video below: Students at Utah Valley University returned to campus after Kirk’s killingHidden note in suspect’s apartmentInvestigators say that sometime after Robinson fired a single fatal shot from the rooftop of a campus building overlooking where Kirk was speaking on Sept. 10, he texted his romantic partner and said to look under a keyboard.There was a note, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to court documents.After expressing shock, his partner who lived with Robinson in southwestern Utah, asked Robinson if he was the shooter. Robinson responded, “I am, I’m sorry.”Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said DNA on the trigger of the rifle used to kill Kirk matched Robinson, who faced his first hearing in the case Tuesday. A judge read the charges and said he would appoint an attorney to represent him. A message was left Wednesday with the county’s public defender office.Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.Investigators looking at whether Robinson had helpLaw enforcement officials say they are looking at whether others knew about Robinson’s plans or helped, but they have not said if his partner is among those being investigated, only expressing appreciation for the partner sharing information.The partner apparently never went to law enforcement after receiving the texts. Robinson remained on the run for more than a day until his parents recognized him in a photo released by authorities.Also getting a closer look is the security on the day of the attack. Utah Valley is conducting a review, university President Astrid S. Tuminez said Wednesday.Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox met with students and campus leaders near the shooting scene, saying he understands they might still be haunted and angry over what happened. “What you do with that anger, that’s what determines where we go from here,” he said.Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Trump win back the White House in 2024. His political organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, brought young, evangelical Christians into politics through social media, his podcast and campus events.While court documents said Robinson wrote in one text that planned the attack for more than a week, authorities have not said what they believe that entailed.Gray declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings and transgender people.Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say is transgender.Parents said their son became more politicalRobinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned hard left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights, Gray said.She recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy. That person was able to get Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.Robinson detailed movements after the shootingIn a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote about planning to get his rifle from his “drop point,” but that the area was “locked down.”The texts, which Robinson later told his partner to delete, did not include timestamps, leaving it unclear how long after the shooting Robinson sent the messages.”To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote.___Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.
OREM, Utah —
Tyler Robinson, the Utah man charged with assassinating Charlie Kirk, was afraid of being shot by police and agreed to surrender as long as it was done peacefully, a sheriff involved with taking him into custody said Wednesday.
Robinson appeared quiet and somber when he turned himself in with his parents last Thursday at the Washington County Sheriff’s office, a day after Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University, said Sheriff Nate Brooksby.
“He didn’t want a big SWAT team at his parent’s house or his apartment,” said the sheriff, who was only involved with the surrender and not the broader investigation. “He was truly fearful about being shot by law enforcement.”
On Tuesday, prosecutors charged the 22-year-old Robinson with capital murder and announced they will seek the death penalty while revealing a series of incriminating messages and DNA evidence that they say connect Robinson to the killing of Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and confidant of President Donald Trump.
Utah Valley University students returning to campus Wednesday clustered silently, staring down at the barricaded courtyard where an assassin struck down conservative activist Charlie Kirk in an attack that upended the nation.
Care stations offering stuffed animals, candy and connections to counseling dotted the campus on the first day of classes since the shooting more than a week ago.
Matthew Caldwell, 24, said his classmates were quieter and seemed more genuine about being in class, even with sadness still in the air.
“The way that we treat each other in our words can ultimately lead to things like this,” he said. “And I think everybody sort of understands that a little bit better now.”
Since the shooting, the Republican president has threatened to crack down on what he calls the “radical left” and has classified some groups as domestic terrorists. Former Democratic President Barack Obama said this week that Trump has further divided the country rather than working to bring people together.
On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee called on the chief executives of Discord, Steam, Twitch and Reddit to testify on how they are regulating their platforms to prevent violence.
“Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence,” said GOP Rep. James Comer, the committee chair, signaling a shift for congressional Republicans, who had previously scrutinized online platforms for policing free speech.
Video below: Students at Utah Valley University returned to campus after Kirk’s killing
Hidden note in suspect’s apartment
Investigators say that sometime after Robinson fired a single fatal shot from the rooftop of a campus building overlooking where Kirk was speaking on Sept. 10, he texted his romantic partner and said to look under a keyboard.
There was a note, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to court documents.
After expressing shock, his partner who lived with Robinson in southwestern Utah, asked Robinson if he was the shooter. Robinson responded, “I am, I’m sorry.”
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said DNA on the trigger of the rifle used to kill Kirk matched Robinson, who faced his first hearing in the case Tuesday. A judge read the charges and said he would appoint an attorney to represent him. A message was left Wednesday with the county’s public defender office.
Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.
Investigators looking at whether Robinson had help
Law enforcement officials say they are looking at whether others knew about Robinson’s plans or helped, but they have not said if his partner is among those being investigated, only expressing appreciation for the partner sharing information.
The partner apparently never went to law enforcement after receiving the texts. Robinson remained on the run for more than a day until his parents recognized him in a photo released by authorities.
Also getting a closer look is the security on the day of the attack. Utah Valley is conducting a review, university President Astrid S. Tuminez said Wednesday.
Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox met with students and campus leaders near the shooting scene, saying he understands they might still be haunted and angry over what happened. “What you do with that anger, that’s what determines where we go from here,” he said.
Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?
Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Trump win back the White House in 2024. His political organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, brought young, evangelical Christians into politics through social media, his podcast and campus events.
While court documents said Robinson wrote in one text that planned the attack for more than a week, authorities have not said what they believe that entailed.
Gray declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings and transgender people.
Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say is transgender.
Parents said their son became more political
Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned hard left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights, Gray said.
She recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.
The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy. That person was able to get Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.
Robinson detailed movements after the shooting
In a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote about planning to get his rifle from his “drop point,” but that the area was “locked down.”
The texts, which Robinson later told his partner to delete, did not include timestamps, leaving it unclear how long after the shooting Robinson sent the messages.
“To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote.
A federal prison inmate has been sentenced to life behind bars, after he was convicted of murder and hate crime charges in the beating death of a fellow inmate who was Jewish.
Federal prosecutors said Brandon “Whitey” Simonson, 41, of Minnesota, conspired with fellow inmate Kristopher “No Luck” Martin to kill Matthew Phillips at FCI Thomson, a low-security federal prison in western Illinois in 2020.
Simonson and Martin punched and kicked Phillips in the face and head on March 2, 2020, even after he was knocked unconscious and unable to defend himself, prosecutors said.
Phillips died three days later.
Prosecutors said Simonson and Martin conspired to kill Phillips to gain recognition and membership within the white supremacist prison gang the Valhalla Bound Skinheads.
On May 13, following a seven-day trial, a federal jury in Rockford convicted Simonson of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, hate crime, and assault.
On Monday, a federal judge in Rockford sentenced him to life in prison.
“Antisemitic violence has no place in our society,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said in a statement. “Violence against people of faith is illegal and unacceptable and will not be tolerated anywhere in our district, including in our prison system. My Office and our law enforcement partners will aggressively enforce federal laws to ensure that all Americans feel safe in practicing and expressing their faith.”
Martin, 43, of Indiana, pleaded guilty earlier this year. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9.
San Jose police are investigating what they say is a hate crime after a Jewish-owned HVAC company’s vehicles and building were vandalized with swastikas.
Owner of HVAC and Insulation Gurus Lior Zeevi said he was disgusted to wake up to a call about something like this.
“It’s the fact that people did it just because of my religion and nothing else,” said Zeevi.
Zeevi is Jewish, but said no one else at his business shares his religion.
He called San Jose police immediately to report it. They came to the business, spoke with neighbors, and determined the incident was a hate crime. Police haven’t caught the person yet, but security cameras did.
“It took them less than two minutes to do so much damage,” said Zeevi. “They broke some windows, some side mirrors, the paint, the cars. The girls in the office got scared a little bit.”
The vandals were wearing all black, making it difficult to find anything that could distinguish them. Zeevi said he is known in the community for his faith and is still processing that something like this happened.
“Every time there is a holiday or something, and the Rabbi is doing an event, he’s going to advertise us because we’re donating the food or something like that,” explained Zeevi. “So, everybody in the community knows our name, they know the logo.”
He reached out to his Rabbi, Mendel Weinfeld, for support, and the response was more than he could have ever expected.
“The rabbi put a post on his Facebook,” said Zeevi. “I got hundreds of phone calls, emails, and texts from the whole community. People I don’t even know that supported me and made me feel way better.”
Rabbi Weinfeld said this isn’t the first time they’ve seen antisemitism in the San Jose community, but it’s not going to stop them.
“It’s not just vandalism, they try to put fear in the hearts of the Jewish people, and what ends up happening is the opposite,” said Weinfeld.
He said the Jewish people will come together to support one another.
“Our response is to do more goodness and kindness; that’s always our response,” said Weinfeld. “To add light and do good.”
Zeevi doesn’t know if these people will be caught, but he said he wishes people would stop targeting his community, or any community.
“I just hope this is the last hate crime happening over here,” said Zeevi.
Anti-Jewish hate crimes rose sharply in Chicago this year, with 70 documented incidents, a 46% increase over last year’s high of 48, with two months left to go in 2024.
According to a CBS News Data Team analysis of Chicago Police hate crimes data, the West Ridge community has recorded a dozen anti-Jewish hate crimes so far this year, including two assaults, a bomb threat, and vandalism to property and a car.
Abdallahi was charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, and aggravated battery.
At least one Chicago alderman has called for hate crime charges to be filed. Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling didn’t rule out the possibility of additional charges on Monday, but said the investigation is continuing.
So far this year, Chicago saw dozens of reported anti-Jewish hate crimes, including 16 criminal defacements, four bomb threats, two incidents of vandalism to institutions, including a place of worship and a school, four incidents of damage to cars, according to an analysis of police data.
The rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes in Chicago preceded the Israeli-Gaza conflict that started after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, increasing from eight to 37 incidents in 2022, and again in 2023 with 48 incidents.
Chicago police hate crimes data is only readily available going back to 2012.
Meanwhile, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim crimes also rose last year to 20 incidents, up from eight in 2022. So far this year, there were 11 anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate crimes confirmed by the police department, including the vandalization of a Palestinian café last Friday.
Montgomery County police arrested the suspect, 47-year-old Junior Michael Reece, and charged him with a hate crime.
A rabbi, out for a walk Monday morning in Wheaton, Maryland, was struck by a man swinging a wooden stake.
Montgomery County police arrested the suspect and charged him with a hate crime.
Police said the unidentified rabbi was walking on the sidewalk on Arcola Avenue, near Kemp Mill Road, a few minutes before 10 a.m., when he was approached by a man who hit him with the wooden stake, then left the area.
The rabbi suffered minor injuries.
Police found the suspect, 47-year-old Junior Michael Reece, nearby, and took him into custody.
Reece, of no fixed address, was charged with felony assault, as well as misdemeanor assault, and an additional misdemeanor which says a crime was committed “because of another’s race, color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or national origin.”
According to a police spokeswoman Casandra Tressler: “Statements that the suspect made after the arrest, the location of the assault, and the attire of the victim are the reasons for this being investigated as a hate crime.”
In an initial hearing on Tuesday, Reece was ordered held without bond and to undergo a competency evaluation before a bond hearing next week.
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A former Prince George’s County, Maryland, elementary school teacher who was arrested on assault charges in Virginia and indicted for…
A former Prince George’s County, Maryland, elementary school teacher who was arrested on assault charges in Virginia and indicted for allegedly attacking people with pepper spray in a D.C. park was found not guilty.
Years after Michael Thomas Pruden, 50, was hit with seven federal assault charges related to “bias-motivated assaults” on men from 2018 to 2021 in Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park, a jury of his peers in Washington D.C. acquitted him of all charges.
Initially, prosecutors argued before a grand jury that Pruden attacked victims because of their perceived sexual orientation, targeting a park known for cruising, or “a meeting place for men seeking consensual sex with other men,” according to charging documents.
The indictment identified a total of five victims who were assaulted during evening activities at the park in D.C., claiming Pruden pretended to be a member of law enforcement and attacked unsuspecting men.
“Before spraying the men, Pruden pretended to be a Park Police officer, shined a flashlight in the victims’ faces and gave the victims police-style directives,” the department said in a July 2022 press release.
Prosecutors also brought forth digital evidence from Pruden — “text or social media messages or profiles that reference ‘cruising,’ Meridian Hill Park or Malcolm X Park,” and social media activity on platforms like Jack’d and Grindr ahead of this week’s jury trial. Jurors began deliberation Thursday and reached their decision Friday afternoon.
Pruden’s acquittal comes more than two years after his arrest in Norfolk, Virginia, due in part to significant delays in the trial. Notable issues included changes in representation and motions to bifurcate the trial — separating the question of whether Pruden committed the offenses charged from deliberation on the reason being the victims’ espoused or assumed sexual orientation.
The silent stones tell both sides of an epic story, the life and death of Timeline: The Blaze Bernstein murder caseBlaze Bernstein. They are a marker of a violent murder, but also a promise in the belief of a better future. A monument to the best of humanity, and the very worst of human behavior.
You can find the stones in a tranquil corner of Borrego Park, in suburban Orange County, California. There are hundreds of them, hand-painted, with messages of tolerance, love and peace. “And they’re getting sent to us from all around the world,” says Gideon Bernstein. “It’s great to see the messaging. It’s always positive,” adds Gideon’s wife Jeanne Pepper.
A hand-painted stone with the likeness of Blaze Bernstein in Orange County, California’s Borrego Park.
KCBS
Jeanne and Gideon are the parents of Blaze Bernstein. On Jan. 2, 2018, then-19-year-old Blaze left his house. Sometime later that night, he was murdered in Borrego Park, stabbed 28 times; his body buried there in a shallow, muddy grave.
By all accounts, Blaze was an exceptional young man — an Ivy League student at the University of Pennsylvania, considering a career in medicine, a writer and budding chef. “I call him a unicorn,” Jeanne Pepper tells “48 Hours” correspondent Tracy Smith in “The Life and Death of Blaze Bernstein,” airing Saturday, Sept, 21 at 9/8c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Theirs is a loss they continue to live with to this day. “I think about Blaze all the time, because when I see things, I think to myself, ‘what would Blaze be doing now?’” says Pepper.
Blaze died because of something far more fundamental. He was targeted, and according to investigators, slaughtered, because of who hewas – a gay, Jewish man. Tony Rackaukas, then the Orange County district attorney, says this was a hate crime. Authorities say Blaze’s killer was a neo-Nazi, a member of a small violent hate group called “Atomwaffen,” whose beliefs were deeply anti-LGBTQ + as well as virulently antisemitic.
The killer is Samuel Woodward. He had once been Blaze’s classmate back in high school. That’s about all Blaze and Woodward had in common, according to classmate Raiah Rofsky, who tells Smith, “They were so different … about as different as you could be.” Rofsky remembers Woodward’s unsettling presence. “He was very quiet — very withdrawn, didn’t really talk to people.” Rofsky tells Smith Woodward had a reputation. “Racist, homophobic, sexist.”
And when word spread that Blaze had gone missing while home in California on college winter break, and that the last person known to have seen him was Woodward, Rofsky’s reaction was immediate. “The only reason I could think of Sam meeting up with Blaze is because either number one, he wanted to hook up with him, or two, because he was planning to murder him.” That was January 2018.
Detectives arrested Woodward just 10 days after Blaze disappeared in Borrego Park.
It has been six painful years. There were COVID delays, and a revolving door of defense lawyers who raised questions with the court about Woodward’s mental health and ability to defend himself. It all left Jeanne Pepper and Gideon Bernstein frustrated and waiting for justice. “Slow justice is no justice,” says Pepper. “It’s not fair to victims and it’s not fair to the deceased.” In 2022, Woodward was found competent to stand trial. Finally, in April 2024, the murder trial began.
Remarkably, after all they have endured, the couple turned their grief into hope. They founded what they call “a kindness movement” – promoting “positivity” and random acts of kindness in Blaze’s name. They call their movement “BlazeItForward.”
Some of the hundreds of hand-painted stones, most left by total strangers, in the memory of Blaze Bernstein at Borrego Park.
CBS News
In Borrego Park, where Blaze took his last breath, there is that extraordinary response — the hundreds of hand-painted stones, most left by total strangers, in the memory of Blaze Bernstein.
The silent stones speak of tolerance and Blaze’s transformation into a kind of martyr; his murder a marker of rabid hate. His spirit gives inspiration to LGBTQ + people, wherever they live and with whomever they love.
Jeanne Pepper tells Smith, “Blaze’s life mattered and he has a legacy, to create good news, to inspire people to be better, to be kinder. And to work on repairing the world, because it’s not too late and we can make it better.”
The World Bank has ceased all paid advertising on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, which was formerly Twitter, after a CBS News investigation found promoted advertisements from the organization showing up under a racist post from an account that prolifically posts pro-Nazi and white nationalist content.
CBS News found a verified X account with more than 115,000 followers that had posted a racist image alongside a post praising Europe’s colonization of Africa. CBS News is not publicly identifying the accounts spreading racist content on X.
A promoted advertisement for the World Bank showed up in the comments section below the post.
“The World Bank Group had already reduced its paid marketing on X while working with the platform to implement the strongest safety protocols X offers for our content,” a spokesperson for the World Bank told CBS News on Friday, adding: “This latest incident is entirely unacceptable, and we are immediately ceasing all paid marketing on X.”
Two screengrabs from X show, at left, a post containing racist messaging and, at right, a promoted advertisement for the World Bank that had appeared under the post. The World Bank told CBS News on Aug. 23, 2024 that it was pulling all paid advertising off the X platform over its ad appearing underneath the racist post.
X
CBS News has asked X to comment on the World Bank’s withdrawal of paid advertising from the platform but had not received a reply by the time of publication.
The account has shared dozens of antisemitic and racist posts over the course of the past week alone, and CBS News found promoted advertisements from numerous businesses under multiple posts from the account as it shared pro-Nazi content, including one post showing archival video of Adolf Hitler with the caption: “We defeated the wrong enemy.” That post has garnered more than two million views on the platform, according to X’s own metrics.
CBS News has found more than a dozen accounts on X with the blue check indicating “verification” by the platform that have large followings and regularly post white nationalist or pro-Nazi content, and which have promoted advertisements from some recognizable brands showing up in their comments threads.
X’s policy on hateful conduct states that users “may not attack other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.” It says the platform prohibits any targeting of people or groups with media that refers to or depicts the Holocaust or “symbols historically associated with hate groups, e.g., the Nazi swastika,” as examples.
A promoted advertisement from Saudia Airlines, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, showed up under the same post as the World Bank advertisement. CBS News has sought comment from Saudia Airlines on the placement of its advertisement and on how the airline determines whether and how to spend money on the platform.
In public court filings unsealed Tuesday, it was revealed that Kingdom Holdings, a Saudi Arabian conglomerate operated by members of the country’s royal family, is a key investor in the X platform. Saudia Airlines is owned by the government of Saudi Arabia.
On at least five occasions, promoted advertisements for the backpack company Nordace showed up under white nationalist or pro-Nazi posts on X. This included an advertisement for a Nordace backpack under a post from another verified account with 161,000 followers.
The thread shared by the account included pro-Nazi posts that said “antisemites will save the world,” and “Weimar problems require Weimar solutions” with the “Weimar problems” phrase painted in the colors of the LGBTQ rainbow flag. The Weimar Republic was a name used for Germany before Hitler rose to power with the Nazi regime.
On its website, Canadian-owned Nordace describes its core values as including, “Respect People” and “leave a positive impact.”
CBS News has sought comment from Nordace about the placement of its advertisements on X and how the company determines its ad spend on the platform.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has dismantled safeguards on the platform since his October 2022 takeover of what was then Twitter — including dramatic changes to its verification system and the disbanding of its Trust and Safety advisory group, as well as changes to broader content moderation and hate speech enforcement.
Musk has created a system that sees X’s algorithms favor accounts that pay for the platform’s blue-check subscription service. According to X’s own marketing for its verification service, X premium offers “reply prioritization” for all subscribers.
Changes made by Musk to the X business model since his purchase of the company have allowed influencers who buy into the company’s verification subscription to monetize their content. Subscribers are eligible to receive a share of advertising revenue for their content if they “have at least 5M organic impressions on cumulative posts within the last 3 months” and “have at least 500 followers.”
According to the platform’s terms of use, accounts can do this without publicly disclosing their identity, provided the account holder privately discloses their ID to the platform.
“X allows the use of pseudonymous accounts, meaning an account’s profile is not required to use the name or image of the account owner. Accounts that appear similar to others on X are not in violation of this policy, so long as their purpose is not to deceive or manipulate others,” according to the platform’s own guidelines.
All of the verified X accounts reviewed by CBS News would, according to the company’s own guidelines, qualify for a share of its ad revenues under this policy.
One account that has frequently shared antisemitic posts, with more than half of a million followers, has even bragged about its earnings on X.
In a post from March, the account shared a screenshot allegedly showing earnings from X’s ad revenue sharing program for verified accounts. The screenshot was accompanied by the caption: “X monetization is about to overtake TikTok and change the whole social media landscape. I’m not sure if live-streaming made the difference or if X has increased its revenue sharing, but this is approaching the point where I can support myself off of X.”
CBS News has reached out to X for comment on whether the accounts reviewed are profiting from their content and on how it decides which verified accounts should receive ads and revenue.
The account under which the Nordace ad appeared had shared several antisemitic posts, including one that said “our country is controlled by an international criminal organization that grew out of the Jewish mob and now hides in modern Zionism behind cries of ‘antisemitism.’”
While no promoted advertisements showed up under that specific post, ads have shown up under other posts by the account, including some spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation.
In recent months, Musk even boosted engagement for this specific X account as it peddled an unfounded conspiracy theory that influential figures in the media wanted to take American children away from their parents. In July, the account shared a clip of an old MSNBC commercial taken out of context with a caption reading: “The goal IS to take your children. They openly say it. This is why we have the second amendment.”
Musk replied “absolutely” to the post in question, which has been viewed 4.3 million times according to X’s metrics.
Musk has also repeatedly engaged with another verified account, which has almost 366,000 followers, with an interaction between the tech mogul and the account as recently as Friday morning.
This account has repeatedly touted the so-called “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, an unfounded far-right claim that White European populations are being demographically and culturally replaced by non-whites.
Last week, the account posted the unfounded claim that there is “a war on White people going on and the mainstream media and politicians are ‘ignoring’ it.”
Paid advertisements also showed up under that post.
CBS News has asked X’s press office whether it is comfortable with the platform’s owner engaging with such content, but there was no reply by the time of publication.
In an October 2022 post, Musk had vowed that X’s new policy would be “freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach. Negative/hate tweets will be max deboosted & demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter,” he said, adding that such content would be unfindable “unless you specifically seek it out, which is no different from rest of Internet.”
Video captured by those inside the D.C. restaurant shows employees wearing Shake Shack uniforms hitting the man and others pulling him away as customers looked on.
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DC police investigate suspected hate crime at Shake Shack, restaurant suspends employees
Christian Dingus, 28, said it happened Saturday evening after a store employee told them to stop kissing.
“He kind of interrupted us and said, ‘Hey, stop. You can’t be doing that here,’” Dingus told WTOP.
According to Dingus, the comment made his partner upset.
“He was like, ‘We’re not doing anything wrong,’” he said.
His partner was escorted out of the restaurant, moving the confrontation from inside the restaurant to the sidewalk. From there, Dingus said the incident escalated.
According to Dingus, several additional employees came over. He said after attempting to defuse the situation from the doorway of the store, he got more involved when the group had his partner backed up against a brick wall.
“I stepped fully outside, and at that point, raised my voice for the first time, where I was like, ‘Hey, stop, leave him alone,’” Dingus said.
He said after waving his hands in the air, he was targeted.
“I was pushed and pretty quickly after that, it’s kind of a blur. But I just know I was jumped on by multiple of them at that point, getting punched in my face, in my head, falling to the ground, and then while I was on the ground, continued to be hit in my head and my body for what seemed like forever,” Dingus said.
Video captured by those inside the restaurant shows employees wearing Shake Shack uniforms hitting the man and others pulling him away, as customers looked on from inside the restaurant.
Dingus said he’s not sure who broke things up.
When the police arrived, they spoke with the employees of the restaurant and, according to Dingus, told him it would be best if he left the area.
According to a police report, one of the people involved claimed Dingus “placed his hands on his neck” and that “he was defending himself.”
Christian Dingus, 28, said he was attacked by Shake Shack employees after kissing his boyfriend. (Courtesy Christian Dingus)
“I was on the ground with multiple people hitting me with my hands on my head. Did I have my hand on all their necks? Kind of just absurd,” Dingus said.
He also claimed some videos of what happened that have appeared online also discredit that claim.
Dingus said his jaw was injured and he suffered a concussion.
In a statement to WTOP, Shake Shack said the employees involved have been suspended as the restaurant investigates what took place.
Police said it is also still investigating the incident as a hate crime for which the motivation may be “Sexual Orientation — Anti-Gay.”
For Dingus, he said he moved to D.C. with the hope of living in a place where he can be comfortable being who he is, and only recently became comfortable with expressing physical affection in public.
“For me to finally be comfortable to do that, and in a place that I deem safe, to be kind of torn away that quickly is just … it’s pretty awful,” he said.
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Police arrested Wednesday the woman they say contributed to a string of antisemitic vandalizations that several properties doused in red paint last month.
Photo by Dean Moses
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Taylor Peloton, 28, of Astoria, Queens was charged for her alleged role in the four incidents targeting the homes of Jewish members of the Brooklyn Museum board, including its director, Anne Pasternak.
Sources familiar with the case said that Peloton allegedly acted as the getaway driver in the spree.
Outside of Pasternak’s Brooklyn Heights home, the vandals splattered red paint over the entrance and hung a sign reading, “Anne Pasternak Brooklyn Museum White Supremacist Zionist,” disturbing some who lived there.
According to police sources, 28-year-old Taylor Peloton of Astoria allegedly served as the getaway driver in four incidents that took place in Manhattan and Brooklyn in June.Photo by Dean Moses
“We’re a Jewish family that lives in the building,” the resident said at the time of the incident, who preferred to remain anonymous. “It feels terrible, and it felt very pointedly Jewish.”
Following an investigation, the NYPD Warrant Squad cuffed Peloton at her home at 6:30 a.m. on July 31. Later that afternoon, detectives escorted her out of the 7th Precinct stationhouse in Manhattan as she wore a face mask — remaining silent as she was sent on her way to Manhattan Criminal Court for arraignment.
Peloton was cuffed by the NYPD warrant squad at her home at 6:30 a.m. on July 31. She was escorted out of the 7th precinct by detectives wearing a facemask. She remained silent.Photo by Dean Moses
At the time, the spate of hate crimes were denounced by locals but also elected officials.
“This is not peaceful protest or free speech,” Mayor Eric Adams wrote on X. “This is a crime, and it’s overt, unacceptable antisemitism. These actions will never be tolerated in New York City for any reason. I’m sorry to Anne Pasternak and member of the the Brooklyn Museum’s board who woke up to hatred like this.”
Peloton is charged with two counts of hate crime criminal mischief.
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A Brooklyn man was indicted for allegedly committing several hate crimes in Manhattan.
Skiboky Store, 40, allegedly assaulted, stalked and harassed strangers in a series of anti-female, anti-white, and antisemitic incidents. He was charged with three counts of assault as a hate crime, one count of stalking as a hate crime, and one count of aggravated harassment.
“Skiboky Stora allegedly committed a series of hate-motivated incidents against several individuals based on their perceived gender, race and religion,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Much of what defines our city is respect and acceptance of all people. Nobody should have to fear for their safety because of their identity. I thank our prosecutors for their unwavering commitment in seeking justice for these victims.”
According to court documents, at 8 a.m. on Sept. 20, 2023, a 17-year-old white student walked past Stora near West 17th Street and 8th Avenue in Chelsea. As he walked by, Stora allegedly elbowed the student in the neck, causing pain, and said in substance, “You people think you can do whatever the f— you want.”
Then, at 8:10 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2023 a 37-year-old fair-skinned woman walked past Stora in the same vicinity as before and as she passed, Stora allegedly elbowed the victim’s left shoulder, causing pain and bruising.
Stora allegedly struck again on Nov. 18, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. when a 28-year-old woman and her 28-year-old husband, a white, Jewish couple, were walking their dogs in Union Square. As they approached East 15th Street and 5th Avenue, the woman allegedly saw Stora tearing down posters of kidnapped Israeli hostages and took a picture of him. After noticing the couple, Stora allegedly began to follow them around and shouted anti-white and antisemitic remarks, including, “F— you white boy.”
A Good Samaritan let the victims into her building to get them away from Stora, who allegedly followed them into the lobby shouting in substance, “Die, Jews, Die!”
Then, on March 25, 2024, a 23-year-old white woman was walking near West 17th Street and 7th Avenue in Chelsea at 10:20 a.m. As she passed Stora, he allegedly struck her in the head, causing her to fall to the ground. As a result, the victim suffered pain and swelling to the left side of her head.
Following a joint investigation conducted by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Stora was arrested two days after the most recent incident.
