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An 82-year-old woman was arrested for a suspected hate crime and assault after she allegedly punched two supporters of now President-elect Trump – with the interaction caught on camera.
The incident occurred on Monday, Nov. 4 – one day before the general election – at an intersection in Edmonds, Washington where a group of Trump supporters were positioned.
The 82-year-old suspect, who was not publicly identified by police, was accused of pushing and punching a 55-year-old female and a 66-year-old female after getting into a verbal altercation, the Edmonds Police Department said in a release.
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The woman allegedly confronted two Trump supporters based on their skin color, police said. (Edmonds Police Department)
Police were dispatched shortly after 1 p.m. for reports of an assault.
They arrived to find an 82-year-old woman interacting with several Trump supporters.
In police body camera footage, obtained by Digital, the 82-year-old suspect is heard explaining her actions to law enforcement.
“I approached her, and I said, ‘I want to know why you’re voting for Trump.’ That’s the only thing. And I said, ‘Because you’re brown-skinned.'” she said.
“I was a teacher, I hate the racism in this country. I hate how people are treated, and so my question was how a brown person can support this person,” she said. “And she immediately started screaming, ‘racist, racist.’”
“And my response was to push her away. And it wasn’t hard,” she said. “I didn’t help the situation.”
Police said that the incident happened one day before Election Day. (Edmonds Police Department)
During a subsequent investigation into the altercation, the 55-year-old woman told officers that the elderly woman had “gotten into her face,” commented on her clothes and skin color, and then pushed her and punched her on the chin.
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A second victim, a 66-year-old Edmonds woman, said when she saw what was happening, she intervened. The 82-year-old suspect responded by punching her as well.
The Washington woman was arrested on assault and hate crime charges. She was wearing a Harris-Walz pin. (Edmonds Police Department)
Officers said as part of their investigation, they interviewed multiple people who witnessed the incident.
The suspect was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for hate crime and assault. Police said that through the interview, the suspect showed “no remorse.”
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“The constitution protects peaceful rallies in our community, and community members should never be met with violence while exercising those rights. Our officers properly determined that this was more than just an assault and arrested the suspect for the appropriate charge,” Edmonds Police Department Chief Michelle Bennett said.
