Man facing ethnic intimidation charges for antisemitic incident at Bloomfield Hills synagogue
(CBS DETROIT) - A Dearborn man is charged after police say he made antisemitic threats outside of a synagogue in Bloomfield Hills.
According to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, 35-year-old Hassan Yehia Chokr was charged with two counts of ethnic intimidation.
At about 8:57 a.m. on Dec. 2, Bloomfield Township police received a call from the security director at Temple Beth El. Prosecutors say Chokr made racist and antisemitic threats to parents, children and security personnel.
After identifying the suspect, police say they located him and conducted a traffic stop.
"We are aware of the social media posts and videos of this traffic stop that are circulating. Our officers accomplished the goal of identifying the subject while using de-escalation techniques to defuse the subject," Bloomfield Township police said in a Facebook post on Sunday. "We are unable to comment on specific investigative techniques, but we were able to assess that subsequent to the traffic stop the subject would not be an imminent threat to the community."
Authorities say following the traffic stop, they continued with their investigation. Chokr was taken into custody by the Dearborn Police Department on a separate incident and a search warrant was executed at his home.
Police say evidence was turned over to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, who then issued a warrant for the two felony charges.
"Anti-semitic and racist threats or ethnic intimidation of any kind, will not be tolerated in our community, and every such incident will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement. "Our office created Oakland County's first Hate Crimes Unit a little over a year ago to give us the resources needed to call out, investigate and prosecute these serious crimes."
Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following statement on Monday:
"Those who espouse hate and are motivated to commit crimes against specific populations or communities because of that bias threaten the values we hold scared as Americans.
"As Attorney General, I created a dedicated unit to investigate and prosecute bias-motived crimes. My Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit works with federal and local law enforcement partners to ensure crimes of this nature are thoroughly investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No one should fear for their safety because of who they are, where they worship, who they love---or any other unique attribute that contributes to the diversity of our state."