Shoreline Hate Crime Charge Filed

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed a Hate Crime charge against a 49-year-old Shoreline man.

The incident started when investigators said a pedestrian interfered with the defendant’s attempt to park at the Shoreline Fred Meyer, at 18325 Aurora Avenue North.

Some heated words were exchanged, and the defendant called the victim a racial slur and threatened him, investigators said. The victim told deputies he believed he was targeted because he is Black.

A third man, who was armed with a baseball bat, reportedly asked the defendant why he made the racial slur. The defendant told the man to “mind your own business before I shoot you,” according to investigators.

A detective said that the defendant was “incredibly argumentative” when contacted by phone.

On Facebook, the defendant also posted “incredibly hateful words targeted at the Black Lives Matter movement, the recent civil unrest in Seattle, and recent national police shootings,” the detective wrote in a probable cause document.

This case is the 46th hate crime charge filed this year by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. In 2019, we had 37 cases filed and 29 cases filed in 2018.

The defendant’s arraignment, where he’s expected to enter a plea, is scheduled for 1 p.m. Nov. 16.

This post is based on information available as of November 4, 2020, and is not expected to be updated as the case moves forward.