VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The case of a man who wore a religious hat into a courtroom will go to the grand jury on a felony charge of assault on a law enforcement officer.
Hassled for a Holy Hat: Violent confrontation results from religious hat in VB courtroom
You can’t wear a hat in a Virginia Beach courtroom unless it’s for religious or medical reasons. On May 1, Derrick Merdy was wearing a kufi in courtroom 10 in keeping with his Muslim faith. Inquiries from court bailiffs about the kufi quickly escalated into a fight in the courthouse hallway.
The incident started with one court bailiff asking Merdy about his hat, and then another escorting him into the hall. The first bailiff testified Friday that she asked him to remove it, but never asked if the kufi was a religious hat.
“We’re not trained to identify religious hats,” she said in her testimony. “I did not know that it was religious.”She called for backup, and the second bailiff touched Merdy’s arm as he headed for the courtroom exit. Merdy said, “don’t touch me” as they left the courtroom…