Authorities have arrested an 82-year-old woman for allegedly assaulting two women because of their political beliefs.
Edmonds Police said they were called to a report of an assault at a Seattle crossroads on Monday just before noon.
When the elderly woman, who has not been publicly named, came up to the small group of people rallying for an unnamed conservative politician, she yelled at them about their views, according to police.
The suspect is then said to have gotten up in front of a 55-year-old woman, made comments about her clothes and skin color, and then pushed her and punched her in the chin.
Police say that the 82-year-old woman also punched a 66-year-old woman who tried to help them work things out.
Police say that when they arrived, the suspect told them she did not understand why people of color would vote for that particular candidate. She was said to be “very animated” and even tried to force a police officer to show how she had behaved with the women.
The 82-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of a hate crime because she allegedly did not feel bad about what she did.
She was taken to the Snohomish County Jail.
Police said that neither of the two victims had serious injuries and did not need medical care.
The fight happened the day before Election Day, when people went to the polls to vote in the presidential race, races for Congress, and races further down the ballot.
Soon after the polls closed, Donald Trump easily beat Kamala Harris in the election. He will return to the White House in January.
In the statement, Michelle Bennett, the chief of police in Edmonds, said, “The Constitution protects peaceful rallies in our community, and people should never be met with violence while exercising their rights.
” Our police did the right thing by figuring out that this was more than just an assault and arresting the suspect on the right charge.
Mayor Mike Rosen of Edmonds also said, “I am sad that this violence has happened in our community.”
The right to free speech is what democracy is built on, and elections are an important part of society.
People in the community who show their political support without violence should not be targeted with hate. It is good that no one was seriously hurt and that the suspect was caught.
