Jewish teen's assault in Michigan under investigation as possible antisemitic hate crime: police
A 19-year-old man was allegedly attacked after he was asked whether he was Jewish, authorities said.
A Jewish man was assaulted in the Michigan college town of Ann Arbor last weekend in what police called a "bias-motivated assault."
The 19-year-old was walking around 12:45 a.m. Monday near the main campus of the University of Michigan, where a group of males behind him asked whether he was Jewish, the Ann Arbor Police Department said.
"When the victim replied yes, the group of males proceeded to assault him," a police statement said. "The suspects then fled the area on foot."
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The victim sustained minor injuries, but didn't require hospitalization, police said.
The department said "we take bias-motivated crimes very seriously and have assigned this incident to our hate crimes detective. Right now, it is very early in the investigation and we have limited information on the suspects."
Ann Arbor Police Chief Andre Anderson said there was "absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation in the City of Ann Arbor."
"Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes," he added. "We are committed to vigorously investigating this and other hate-motivated incidents and will work with the County Prosecutor’s office to aggressively prosecute those who are responsible."
Ann Arbor police are also investigating the distribution of antisemitic flyers in several neighborhoods earlier this month, WEMU-TV reported.
The city is home to the University of Michigan. Like many colleges, the university has been the site of anti-Israel encampments and protests related to the Israeli war against Hamas thousands of miles away.
In a statement, university president Santa Ono said it was working with the police department as it investigates the alleged assault.
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"We urge anyone with knowledge about the incident to share it with DPSS (university Division of Public Safety and Security) or the Ann Arbor police department. In turn, we will ask that perpetrators be held accountable for their actions," Ono said. "We stand firmly against antisemitism and all bias-motivated behavior. We are committed to creating a community where every student, faculty member, staff member or visitor can thrive without the fear of threats, intimidation or violence."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the University of Michigan.
