Eugene Thompson, 19, was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on a felony charge of robbery and a felony hate crime charge in connection with a Jan. 25 incident at a Giant grocery store in Gaithersburg.
According to charging documents, the adult victim was shopping at the grocery store at 18250 Flower Hill Way when he encountered a group of men, including Thompson, throwing fruit and other items at customers as well as stealing donuts from the display case.
When he asked them to stop, he was surrounded by the group and an argument ensued, according to the charging documents. At some point, the victim unzipped his sweatshirt, which revealed a Star of David necklace and pulled out a pen to prevent the men from assaulting him.
The documents allege Thompson noticed the necklace, levied antisemitic language at the victim and physically assaulted him.
According to records, the victim said he heard members of the group shout “Yeah, do it for Kanye!” while he was being assaulted, but was unsure if Thompson also said those comments. The man believed they were referring to celebrity rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), who has made antisemitic remarks in the past.
According to police, Thompson physically assaulted the man, causing him to lose consciousness, and the suspects left the store. The victim’s keys were also stolen.
The victim was treated by officers on the scene and then taken to a nearby hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
Thompson was later found and identified in the 18200 block of Flower Hill Way and arrested, according to police. Officers found the victim’s keys when they searched the suspect.
Police previously said Thompson was 30 years old, but court records say he is 19. According to a WTOP report, Thompson previously provided police with the fake name of Michael Stewart.
Court records did not list attorney information for Thompson. He is being held without bond, and has a hearing scheduled for March 3.
