The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed hate crime charges brought against a West Virginia man who allegedly harassed and made racist threats to his neighbors and threatened to kill police officers.
Police responded to a home in the Hillsboro area of Pocahontas County after a family said they feared for their safety due to the actions of their neighbor. The man reportedly threatened the family, used a variety of profane language and racial slurs and said, “You’ll get what’s coming to you.”
When police attempted to speak to the man, he was reportedly extremely intoxicated and confrontational. After asking him to go back into his home and stop using racial slurs and loud, boisterous language, police returned to their cruisers, and the man allegedly yelled “I’ll shoot all you f—— cops!” He was arrested and charged with two counts of threats of terroristic acts and one count of prohibiting violations of an individual’s civil rights, which is a hate crime.
SEE: Pocahontas County man arrested for hate crimes, threatening to shoot police
“We welcome the arrest and charges against the suspect and are thankful that law enforcement authorities intervened before any violence occurred,” said CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison. “We stand in solidarity with the family and the broader community. No one deserves to be subjected to racist threats and harassment.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com