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Woman, 82, arrested for suspected hate crime against Trump supporter

Vaseline2 weeks ago

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Woman, 82, arrested for suspected hate crime against Trump supporter

An 82-year-old woman was arrested Monday on suspected hate crime and assault charges following an incident at a political rally, police said.

In Edmonds, Washington, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Seattle, police were called to the scene where a group of people gathered for “a conservative political figure” the day before the election, according to a Wednesday news release.

The suspect, whom police have not publicly named, spoke with two women at the scene about their political views, police said. A police report obtained by USA TODAY shows the suspect was an 82-year-old white woman.

Two Edmonds women, ages 55 and 66, told police the suspect punched them in the face, commented on the clothing and skin color of one of the women and punched her in the face. The police report shows the women were black and multiracial. When the other woman tried to intervene, she was also hit, according to the press release.

“When officers contacted the suspect, she stated that she could not understand why people of color would support this specific candidate,” police said in the news release. “The suspect was very animated and even tried to push an officer while demonstrating how she had acted.”

The suspect was booked into a local jail after police found probable cause for a hate crime, police said. Jail records show she is no longer in custody and ABC reported that the suspect has not been charged as of Thursday.

The 2024 election season was marked by violence

In the days and weeks leading up to the election of Donald Trump as the winner of the 2024 presidential election, threats of election-related violence emerged across the country.

A recent survey found that nearly 1 in 3 Republicans who view Trump favorably believe political violence is acceptable, compared to 1 in 4 Republicans overall and 1 in 6 Americans. Experts had warned that this could be a dangerous election, USA TODAY previously reported. This was the first presidential election after Trump’s refusal to accept his loss in the 2020 election sowed distrust in the electoral system and fueled the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump has survived two assassination attempts this year. In July, he was shot in the ear by a gunman standing on a rooftop near a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. In September, the Secret Service opened fire on a suspect after spotting a gun barrel in the bushes along the edge of Trump’s golf course, where Trump was playing golf at the time.

Threats have also been made against election workers and government officials this season. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced legal action in four cases earlier in October.

A Philadelphia man was accused of threatening to “skin” a party official;
An Alabama man was accused of threatening to execute election officials in Arizona;
An Arizona man was accused of shooting at a Democratic campaign office;
And a California man was accused of bombing a courthouse.

Ballot boxes in Washington and Oregon were set on fire on October 28.

In two separate incidents in Florida, an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, both apparent Trump supporters, were arrested after altercations with Harris-supporting women over the age of 65.

On election day, bomb threats from Russian domains targeted polling stations in several states.

Contributions: Erin Mansfield, Bart Jansen, James Powell, John Bacon, Aysha Bagchi

Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.

Vaseline2 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

The 2024 election season was marked by violence

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