Plano Family In Fear After Possible Hate Crime
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PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - Vandalism or hate crime? That is the question that a family and investigators in Plano are now trying to answer after someone threw a rock through a house window twice over the past two days.
Security camera video captured the rock crashing through the back window, and the shocking reaction from the family inside.
That family is Muslim, and just moved to east Plano only six weeks ago, into the first home in a brand new neighborhood that includes a mosque. Now, they will have to repair their back window and clean up a mess caused by what some fear was a hate crime.
Police were called to investigate the matter.
This family, who did not want their name released, is worried that they have been targeted because of their religion -- and the Islamic group that is assisting them agreed. "Some of the patterns we're seeing -- the fact it happened multiple times in such a short period of time," said Alia Salem, spokesperson for the Council on American Islamic Relations. "Right now, we're getting multiple hate crime reports every single day."
"More than the damage -- it's not the window -- it's the terrifying factor of it," the Plano homeowner said. "It is them trying to terrorize us or scare us. The kids are scared to go up or down alone."
The security camera video is not very clear, only showing what appears to be the shadows of three people running away.
"You move into a neighborhood thinking, expecting," the homeowner began. "This is just unfortunate and scary."
