An 82-year-old Washington woman was arrested around 1 pm. on Monday for a hate crime after assaulting two Trump supporters, according to police.
The alleged victims — 55-year-old Gina Powell and 66-year-old Mary Jennings — were waving signs and flags supporting former President Donald Trump. They were allegedly confronted by an elderly woman while supporting Trump a day before the 2024 presidential election on a street in Edmonds, Washington.
‘She made it very clear it was my skin color.’
Police bodycam footage shows the suspect wearing a “Harris-Waltz 2024” button on her vest.
Race seemed to be a part of the Kamala Harris supporter’s issue with the women championing Trump.
Powell — who is Hispanic — told KTTH host Jason Rantz, “She looked at my face and said, ‘I can’t believe you’re voting for a racist … how dare you, you should be ashamed of yourself.'”
“I was just shocked at just the presence of mind, and she made it very clear it was my skin color,” Powell added.
The unnamed 82-year-old woman told police, “I approached her, and I said I want to know why you’re voting for Trump. That’s the only thing. And. And I said because you’re brown-skinned.”
The suspect allegedly told the Trump supporters, “Do you know what will happen to people like you if Trump is elected?”
She purportedly said the women “should know better.”
The Edmonds Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday: “During the incident, the suspect indicated the race of the victims, and their political beliefs were the catalyst for her approaching and yelling at them about their views before the assault.”
“When officers contacted the suspect, she stated that she could not understand why people of color would support this particular candidate,” the police noted. “The suspect commented on the victim’s attire and skin color before the suspect pushed the victim and punched her in the chin.”
At the time of the alleged confrontation, Powell was wearing a T-shirt that read: “Pro-God, Pro-Gun, Pro-Life, Pro-Trump.”
Powell told KOMO that the suspect shoved her and “pushed her back.”
Powell then allegedly told the woman, “Don’t touch me.”
“And then, not even a second, she just popped me right in my chin,” Powell explained.
The suspect told police, “I pushed her away, and then put my hand to her chin.”
Jennings attempted to get between the two women, and she was also allegedly assaulted.
Jennings said the elderly woman punched her in the chin and “slammed” her jaw shut.
The Trump supporters did not need medical treatment for the alleged attack. However, Powell said she hasn’t been able to go back to work yet because she’s “still kind of in shock.”
The Edmonds Police Department said the suspect was “very animated and even attempted to push an officer while demonstrating how she had acted.”
During the investigation, police said the suspect “continued to show no remorse for the incident and the potential to continue her behavior toward others.”
Officers established probable cause for a hate crime arrest.
KOMO reported that the suspect has not been charged, but a judge found probable cause for a hate crime offense and two counts of fourth-degree assault on Tuesday.
The 82-year-old woman was booked into the Snohomish County Jail.
Edmonds Police Chief Michelle Bennett stated, “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.”
Mayor Mike Rosen said, “I’m disheartened that this violence has occurred in our community. Elections are an important part of society, and freedom of expression is the foundation on which democracy is built. Community members peacefully showing political support should not be subject to hateful violence. I’m thankful there were no serious injuries, and the suspect was held accountable.”
Powell said the alleged physical incident will not deter her from publicly supporting Trump.
“He got shot by a bullet, and he said ‘fight, fight, fight,’ I got a little jab in my chin, so I’m not sitting down,” Powell said, making a reference to the Trump assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July.
The Edmonds Police Department said it did not release news of the arrest until after the election was over so as to not stir up more political tensions.
You can watch the police bodycam video of the arrest here.
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Hate crime, Crime, Washington crime, Trump supporters, Kamala harris, Donald trump, Kamala supporters, Politics
