Current:Home > ScamsStabbing of Palestinian American near the University of Texas meets hate crime standard, police say -FundCenter
Stabbing of Palestinian American near the University of Texas meets hate crime standard, police say
View
Date:2025-04-17 07:43:01
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The stabbing of a 23-year-old Palestinian American who advocates say was attacked near the University of Texas campus while riding in a truck displaying support for Palestine merits the label of a hate crime, Austin police announced Wednesday.
Bert James Baker, 36, was arrested following the Sunday evening attack on Zacharia Doar, who was hospitalized. Baker was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police said Wednesday that their Hate Crimes Review Committee had determined that the stabbing met the definition of a hate crime. They have provided that information to prosecutors, who will make the final decision on whether to enhance the offense.
The Travis County district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Doar was one of four Muslim Americans who were in the truck, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which said Baker allegedly tried to rip a flagpole with a keffiyeh scarf reading “Free Palestine” off of their vehicle.
An arrest affidavit said that Baker, who was on a bicycle, rode up to the truck Doar and three others were riding in, opened the tailgate and doors and yelled racial slurs at them. The group exited the truck and approached Baker, who punched Doar in the shoulders, the affidavit said. A fight ensued, with Baker eventually pulling out a knife and stabbing Doar in the rib, the affidavit said.
When Baker was interviewed by police, he said he was an alcoholic and had more to drink that day than he normally did, the affidavit said.
Baker was being held in jail on Thursday on $100,000 bond. Jail records did not list an attorney for him.
Threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities increased across the U.S. during the Israel-Hamas war. Israel invaded Gaza after an Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants.
In Vermont in November, three college students of Palestinian descent were shot and seriously wounded while taking an evening walk in an attack that authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime. In October, a landlord in Illinois was accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and wounding his mother. He was charged with a hate crime after police and relatives said he singled out the victims because of their faith.
veryGood! (89752)
Related
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- A crash course in organ transplants helps Ukraine's cash-strapped healthcare system
- Meghan Trainor's Last-Minute Gift Ideas for Mom Are Here to Save Mother's Day
- Enbridge Now Expects $55 Million Fine for Michigan Oil Spill
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Southern State Energy Officials Celebrate Fossil Fuels as World Raises Climate Alarm
- Push to Burn Wood for Fuel Threatens Climate Goals, Scientists Warn
- Dying to catch a Beyoncé or Taylor Swift show? Some fans are traveling overseas — and saving money
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Wimbledon will allow women to wear colored undershorts, in nod to period concerns
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Bryan Cranston says he will soon take a break from acting
- Inside a Michigan clinic, patients talk about abortion — and a looming statewide vote
- Today’s Climate: August 17, 2010
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Today’s Climate: August 10, 2010
- How a team of Black paramedics set the gold standard for emergency medical response
- Americans with disabilities need an updated long-term care plan, say advocates
Recommendation
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
Enbridge Now Expects $55 Million Fine for Michigan Oil Spill
Deli meats and cheeses have been linked to a listeria outbreak in 6 states
Temptation Island Is Back With Big Twists: Meet the Season 5 Couples and Singles
Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
Less than a quarter of U.S. homes are affordable for the typical buyer, study shows
Teen Activists Worldwide Prepare to Strike for Climate, Led by Greta Thunberg
Kellie Pickler’s Husband Kyle Jacobs' Cause of Death Confirmed by Autopsy