On Monday, a federal hate crime charge was filed against a Kentucky man who had brandished a loaded gun at a Palestinian American in a restaurant back in March.
According to a statement from the Justice Department, Melvin Litteral III has been accused of threatening a Palestinian American man who was also a practicing Muslim while they were both at a local restaurant on March 28. An indictment was unsealed on Monday regarding this incident.
The Justice Department has not disclosed much information about the crime. However, local reports published after the incident indicate that it took place at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen on Walden Drive in Lexington.
In the court document, the individual who was victimized is referred to as O.S. However, after the incident, Omar Shalash came forward as the victim and expressed his thoughts in a lengthy post on X. This post was later shared online via LEX 18 in the form of screenshots.
According to Shalash’s account, he and his wife were breaking their fast at the restaurant when they were confronted by a man who began making derogatory and prejudiced comments about their race and religion.
According to Shalash, he tried to speak with the man regarding his comment, but the man pushed him and pulled out a firearm.
As Shalash recalled the harrowing incident, she recounted how the perpetrator had brandished a weapon and held it up to her head. “Arabia, do you want to die?” he had threatened.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Litteral was apprehended by officers from the Lexington Police Department at his residence on the same evening of his arrest.
As per the police mentioned in the report, Litteral attempted to forcefully shut the front door on the officers who were trying to arrest him. He even used his body to obstruct their entry and refused to surrender his hands to be cuffed, indicating resistance towards the arrest.
Federal prosecutors have accused Litteral of committing a hate crime and a second firearms offense. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for the hate crime, as well as a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison for the firearm offense, to be served consecutively.
During the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza and a surge of hate crimes towards Palestinians and Muslims in the United States, an alleged crime took place.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported receiving 3,578 complaints in the final three months of last year, starting from October, which coincided with the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In a statement issued on Monday, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell expressed gratitude towards federal law enforcement authorities for their prompt and efficient actions in arresting a suspect. He also welcomed the hate crime charge in the case.
“We must not tolerate hatred or violence directed towards any American based on their religion, ethnicity, or national origin. Unfortunately, our nation has been plagued by a dangerous trend of anti-Palestinian racism and anti-Muslim bigotry fueled by those who seek to justify the atrocities committed in Gaza by dehumanizing both Palestinians and Muslims. This harmful rhetoric must come to an end.”