Texas man, 36, arrested for stabbing Palestinian-American in the chest in ‘hate crime’ and yelling racial slurs at activists near UT campus in Austin, police say
- Zachariah Doar, 23, was stabbed Sunday near the University of Texas
- Bert James Baker was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
- Prosecutors will make the final decision on whether to expand the crime
A Texas man was arrested after stabbing a Palestinian-American in what police are calling a hate crime.
Zachariah Doar, 23, was stabbed in the chest Sunday near the University of Texas at Austin campus during a fight with Bert James Baker, 36, according to police. He was hospitalized but is expected to recover.
A Doar’s father and three other Muslim Americans were riding in a truck after attending a pro-Palestine protest in the Texas capital when Baker allegedly tried to tear a flagpole wearing a keffiyeh scarf from their vehicle with the text ‘Free Palestine’ and According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a fight ensued.
Baker was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police said Wednesday that their hate crime review committee had determined that the stabbing met the definition of a hate crime.
They provided that information to prosecutors, who will make the final decision on whether the offense should be expanded.
Bert James Baker, 36, was charged with aggravated assault after stabbing a Palestinian-American man in the chest on Sunday
Zachariah Doar, 23, was stabbed in the chest Sunday near the University of Texas campus while riding in a truck showing support for Palestine
Shaimaa Zayan, left, holds Odi Doar, the mother of stabbing victim Zacharia Doar, as they stand near the podium during a press conference outside City Hall on Tuesday
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday that they are in the process of receiving the evidence from police and “look forward to working with them.”
An arrest affidavit said Baker, who was riding a bicycle, approached the truck Doar was driving and three others, opened the trunk and doors and shouted racial slurs at them.
The group exited the truck and approached Baker, who punched Doar on the shoulders, the affidavit said.
A struggle ensued, with Baker eventually pulling out a knife and stabbing Doar in the rib, the affidavit said.
Doar is seen with his son. He is in hospital but is expected to recover
The pro-Palestinian protest Sunday in the Texas capital
When Baker was questioned by police, he said he was an alcoholic and had drunk more than normal that day, the affidavit said.
Baker was being held in jail Thursday on $100,000 bond. Jail records did not list an attorney for him.
Threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities increased across the US during the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel invaded Gaza following an October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants.
In November, three students of Palestinian descent were shot and seriously injured while out for an evening walk in Vermont in an attack that authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime.
In October, an Illinois landlord was accused of fatally stabbing a six-year-old Muslim boy and wounding his mother. He was charged with a hate crime after police and family members said he singled out the victims because of their faith.