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District of Columbia

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Hate Crime Statistics Case Examples News Grant Awardees

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2022 Hate Crime Statistics for District of Columbia

Please click the image/link below to download a fact sheet with detailed graphics and information on hate crimes reported to the FBI for District of Columbia in 2022.

Image of the 2022 District of Columbia Hate Crimes Fact Sheet

Fast Facts on District of Columbia Hate Crime Incidents*

Bias Motivation Categories by Year
Bias Motivation Category202020212022
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry633572
Religion134
Sexual Orientation411752
Disability001
Gender000
Gender Identity281223
Total:13367152
Types of Crime
Crimes Against Persons14285.0%
Crimes Against Property2515.0%
Crimes Against Society00.0%
Bias Motivation Categories
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry7247.3%
Religion42.6%
Sexual Orientation5234.2%
Disability10.7%
Gender00.0%
Gender Identity2315.1%

*2021 was the first year that the annual hate crimes statistics were reported entirely through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).  As a result of the shift to NIBRS-only data collection, law enforcement agency participation in submitting all crime statistics, including hate crimes, fell significantly from 2020 to 2021.


Case Examples

A District man has been found guilty on charges stemming from a hate crime in which he spit in the face of a female neighbor in Southwest Washington.

According to evidence, on July 20, 2020, at approximately 2 p.m., the victim, a Black woman, was walking her service dog and crossing the exit ramp of her apartment complex. The defendant drove his SUV up the exit ramp at a high rate of speed, almost hitting the victim and her dog. After the victim told him to be careful, he began screaming racist and sexist epithets.

The man spit into the victim’s face, and drove away. He was arrested 23 days later after being identified. The man had a history of racist tirades against his Black neighbors.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/district-man-found-guilty-bias-related-assault-african-american-woman

A District man pleaded guilty today, mid-trial, to charges stemming from two assaults.

According to the plea, the defendant assaulted the first victim on May 15, 2022, at the Dupont Circle Metro Station. During this assault, he targeted the victim, hit the victim with a metal object, and then made derogatory statements about the victim’s ethnicity.

The second assault took place on May 22, 2022, when the defendant targeted another victim inside of a Metro Station, kicked the victim in the back while descending the escalator, followed the victim throughout the station, and assaulted the victim again, all the while making derogatory comments directed at the victim’s race and ethnicity.

When he was arrested, the defendant made a number of racist and xenophobic statements.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/district-man-pleads-guilty-mid-trial-hate-crimes-charges

A federal grand jury indicted a District man for assaulting four men because of their perceived sexual orientation.

The indictment alleges that on five separate evenings from 2018 to 2021, the man went to a meeting place for men seeking consensual sex with other men, and assaulted men with a chemical irritant. Before spraying the men, he pretended to be a Park Police officer, shined a flashlight in the victims’ faces and gave the victims police-style directives.

The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for each assault.

An indictment is a serious accusation. But the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/maryland-man-indicted-bias-motivated-assaults-men-washington-dc-park

A District man pled guilty to a bias-related assault and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon.

According to the evidence, the defendant entered a Chipotle restaurant and asked an employee how much food he could buy with about $8. The employee tried to assist, but due to a language barrier, she asked her manager to help the man. Not satisfied, the man began yelling a series of xenophobic, ethnic, and transphobic slurs at the employees.

He climbed onto the service counter and spit on the employee. He began throwing food and serving spoons at the employee, striking her in the hand. The defendant continued yelling slurs throughout the incident. Finally, as he moved towards the exit, he shouted that he was going to return and kill the employees.

The court sentenced the defendant to 450 days in prison. He will serve less time if he completes a year of probation and participates in mental health treatment.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/district-man-pleads-guilty-bias-related-assault-confrontation-employees-fast-food

A District of Columbia woman pled guilty this week to charges stemming from two assaults that took place in April and May of 2021, including one that was prosecuted as a hate crime.

The defendant pled guilty on August 9, 2021, to one count of bias-related assault and one count of simple assault. She was sentenced to a total of 180 days in jail, only serving half if she completes a year of probation.

The bias-related assault took place on April 6, 2021, when the defendant assaulted a U.S. Postal Service worker who was making deliveries. She shoved the worker, a Black female, while using racial slurs. As the worker tried to flee, the defendant pursued her and continued her assault by repeatedly shoving her and using racial slurs.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/district-woman-pleads-guilty-two-assaults-including-one-prosecuted-hate-crime

A D.C. woman was sentenced to prison for threatening to kill someone because they were a member of the Asian community.

In April, the defendant approached the victim outside a neighborhood store while armed with a knife. She then threatened to kill the victim, saying, “I will kill you; you have coronavirus; go back to China.”

The judge sentenced the defendant to the maximum penalty of 270 days, but suspended all but 90 days of incarceration. After her term in prison, she will be placed on probation for 18 months.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/district-woman-sentenced-prison-hate-crime-targeting-member-asian-community

News

September 19, 2024

Federal Hate Crime Charges Brought for Assault on Stranger Wearing a Yarmulke in Washington, DC 


August 8, 2024

Assault of Congregants Outside a Washington D.C. Synagogue Charged as a Federal Hate Crime


February 2, 2023

District Man Found Guilty of Bias-Related Assault on African-American Woman


December 16, 2022

District Man Pleads Guilty Mid-Trial to Hate Crimes Charges


September 23, 2022

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke Delivers Remarks at George Washington University’s Equity Institute Initiative


September 21, 2022

Grand Jury Returns 17-Count Indictment Charging Man with Murder, Multiple Counts of Assault, and Hate Crimes


July 14, 2022

Maryland Man Indicted for Bias-Motivated Assaults of Men in Washington, D.C. Park


May 26, 2022

District Man Pleads Guilty to Bias-Related Attack of Asian Family in Northwest Washington


April 29, 2022

Virginia Man Found Guilty of Charges in Bias-Related Attack on Construction Workers


February 14, 2022

District Man Pleads Guilty to Bias-Related Assault in Confrontation with Employees at Fast-Food Restaurant


November 12, 2021

The FBI Washington Field Office Encourages the Public to Report Hate Crimes


August 12, 2021

District Woman Pleads Guilty to Two Assaults, Including One Prosecuted as Hate Crime


June 9, 2021

District Woman Sentenced to Prison for Hate Crime Targeting Member of the Asian Community


March 18, 2021

Acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia’s Statement on Hate- and Bias-Related Crimes Against Persons of Asian Descent


January 4, 2021

California Woman Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime for Threatening to Bomb Catholic Prep School


October 23, 2019

Statement by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu on D.C. Council Hearing Regarding Hate Crimes in the District of Columbia


February 28, 2018

U.S./Israeli Man Indicted for Hate Crime and Threats to Jewish Community Centers, Israeli Embassy, Anti-Defamation League, Conveying False Information and Cyberstalking


Grant Awardees

 

Community-based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes

Arab American Institute Foundation | Underreported Under Threat: Addressing Hate Crimes Targeting Arab Americans | FY 2023

Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center| Stop Anti-Asian Hate Campaign | FY 2023

Mediators Beyond Borders, International | TRUST USA: A Community-Based Early Warning and Early Response Mechanism to Prevent and Address Hate in USA | FY 2023 Community-based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes

Teen And Police Service Academy | Teen And Police Service Academy: Youth and Police TAPPING OUT of Hate Crime | FY 2023


Services to Support Victims of Hate Crime and Strengthen Communities

Futures Without Violence subawardee: In the Streets | Community IMPACT: Imagining Multidisciplinary Pathways to Assist, Care & Thrive


Resources


Film/Documentary | Community Relations Service | Law Enforcement, Victim Advocacy Groups/General Community

On Common Ground - Episode 2: Strengthening Relations with Arab American Communities


DOJ Offices

FBI Field Office
FBI

 

Washington
601 4th Street NW
Washington, DC 20535

T: 202.278.2000
washingtondc.fbi.gov

U.S. Attorney's Office
DOJ

 

District of Columbia (Washington, DC)
www.justice.gov/usao-dc/contact

CRS Regional Office
CRS

 

Mid-Atlantic Regional Office
200 2nd & Chestnut Street
Suite 208
Philadelphia, PA 19106

T: 215.597.2344
F: 215.597.9148
askcrs@usdoj.gov
Updated October 24, 2024