A hateful twist to an armed robbery

Robber uses anti-Semitic slurs targeting 4 teens

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 S━UP) 9:46“Jewishteens as target━BaltimoreCounty police say the robberiesoccurred here outside theTowson Town Center one nighlast week” (TRACK) AS FOURTEENS LEFT THE MALL ONTHURSDAY EVENING, POLICE SAY3━YEA━OLD SENECA RICEFOLLOWED BEHIND THEMAPPROACHING THEM WITH BADINTENT.

(SOT━Sgt.

VickieWarehime/Baltimore CountyPolice Department 16:03“Thesuspect 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 waistband”(TRACK) AND HAT━FILLED WORSPEWING OUT OF HIS MOUTH.

ONEOF THE TEENS HAD A KIPPAH ONHIS HEAD, AN ITEMTRADITIONALLY WORN BY JEWISHMALES, WHICH THE ROBBERSNATCHED AS WELL.(SOT━Howard Libit/Baltimore Jewish Council 11:34“To hear that during thecommission of the crime, ant━Semitic 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 us” (NAT SOT) 19:39“We are in contact with theFBI, because of the articlethat was stolen and themeaning of it to the family”(TRACK) FOR NOW, POLICE STOPSHORT OF CALLING IT A HATECRIME.

(SOT) 17:27“It isbeing investigated as a biasincident, which is ourprotocol for the county.

Ifthe charges through theStateup to the hate crime level,thain our investigation” (TRACK)BUT ITLEADERS SAY MUST BE PURSUEDWHEN HATRED TURNS THEICHILDREN INTO TARGETS.

(SOT)12:58“It doesnsomeone necessarily goes froma tw━year prison sentence toa 1━year 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 similarly” (HAGERS━UP) 10:07“Rice will face aseries of charges includingfour counts of robbery and onecount of second degreeassault.

Reporting in Towson,Jeff Hager, WMAR 2 News”LET'S CHECK IN