13-year-old ‘threatens to stab victim with foot-long machete’ in alleged homophobic attack
The machete used in the alleged attack. (Police)
A 13-year-old who allegedly threatened to stab someone with a foot-long machete as he hurled homophobic slurs has been arrested in Washington DC.
Police allege that the teenager targeted the victim with “anti-gay slurs” and stabbed cicadas (insects) on the floor with the blade before flinging them in their direction.
“I’ll silence you,” he allegedly told the victim, as he “brandished a machete and threatened to stab” them. The weapon was at least a foot long.
“The suspect then made derogatory comments towards the victim and fled the scene,” police said. “No injuries were reported.”
The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia said that the incident took place at around 3pm on Saturday (12 June) along Florida Avenue, a bustling thoroughfare in the city’s northwest quadrant. The victim was dining outside Shaw’s Tavern on the 500 block, according to WTOP.
With the teen since arrested and in custody, police said they are looking into whether the incident is a hate crime. They have not said what charges the suspect might be facing.
As the incident unfolded, Capital Pride Parade was in full swing. The march was attended by Kamala Harris, who became the first sitting vice president to ever attend a Pride parade.
Donning a top bearing the words, “Love is Love”, Harris attended the march with her husband Doug Emhoff. They walked through streets splashed with rainbow flags and booming with music towards Freedom Plaza, waving at Pride-goers along the way.
Vice president Kamala Harris speaks to marchers, as her husband Doug Emhoff looks on. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
After the march, Harris addressed a crowd as she doubled down on her commitment to advancing LGBT+ at a time where statehouses are vying to drag them backwards.
“There’s so much more to do,” she said.
“We celebrate all of the accomplishments – finally marriage is the law of the land.
“Now we need to pass the Equality Act, we need to make sure that our transgender community and our youth are all protected.”
She added: “We need, still, protections around employment and housing – there is so much more work to do and I know we are committed and we understand the importance of this movement and our roles of leadership in this ongoing movement.”
