An 82-year-old woman was jailed Monday, charged with a hate crime and an attack on two women who gathered in support of a conservative political candidate.
According to the Edmonds Police Department, officers were dispatched to the area of 100th Avenue West and Edmonds Way for a report of an assault shortly before 1 p.m.
They arrived to find an 82-year-old woman interacting with several people supporting a candidate. Officers said when they spoke to the woman, she told them she couldn’t understand why people of color would support the candidate.
Police said she was very animated and even tried to pressure an officer to reveal how she had acted.
While police were investigating, a 55-year-old Edmonds woman told officers the suspect “got in her face” while she was protesting, commented on her clothing and skin color, and then pushed and punched her the chin.
A second victim, a 66-year-old Edmonds woman, said when she saw what was happening, she stepped between the two women. The 82-year-old suspect responded by hitting her as well.
Officers said as part of their investigation they interviewed several people who witnessed the incident.
Neither victim required medical treatment.
Investigators determined probable cause for an arrest under RCW 9A.36.080, and she was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for hate crimes and assault.
“The Constitution protects peaceful gatherings in our community, and community members should never face violence while exercising these rights. Our officers correctly determined that this was more than just an assault and arrested the suspect on the appropriate charges,” Edmonds Police Chief Michelle Bennett said in a news release.
