The Brief
- Jack Vafi, 27, is facing hate crime charges for allegedly targeting a Black grocery store worker with racial slurs and his vehicle.
- Prosecutors say Vafi returned to the Ballard QFC the day after the initial encounter to threaten the employee with a gun.
- A King County judge cited a pattern of aggressive behavior toward people of color, including a previous knife incident at a Costco.
SEATTLE – A Seattle man remains behind bars after prosecutors say he tried to run over a Black grocery store employee before returning the next day to issue death threats.
Ballard grocery worker targeted in parking garage
What we know:
According to court documents, 27-year-old Jack Vafi began shouting racial slurs at an employee working the self-checkout line at a QFC in Ballard. The confrontation escalated in the store’s parking garage when the employee tried taking a photo of Vafi and told him he was trespassing.
Prosecutors say Vafi then got into his car, lined the vehicle up with the worker, and drove straight at him. The employee told Seattle police he had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck.…