Police said they are investigating an alleged antisemitic attack in Ann Arbor against a 19-year-old man who is Jewish.
The incident happened at about 12:45 a.m. Sunday on Hill Street and South Forest in an area just southeast of the main campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, according to a news release from Ann Arbor police. The assailants asked the man if he was Jewish before attacking him, police said.
The teen said “he was walking when a group of unknown males behind him asked if he was Jewish,” police said in their release. “When the victim replied yes, the group of males proceeded to assault him. The suspects then fled the area on foot.”
The alleged victim suffered minor injuries did not require hospitalization, police said.
“We take bias-motivated crimes very seriously and have assigned this incident to our hate crimes detective,” Ann Arbor police said. “Right now, it is very early in the investigation and have limited information on the suspects.”
Ann Arbor Police Chief Andre Anderson said in a statement accompanying the news release: “There is 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. 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.”