A jewelry shop owner in Washington, D.C. was punched by a customer who allegedly got upset over a store policy on May 4.
What happened: The incident occurred inside Max Trading in the 1300 block of 4th Street Northeast, according to The Hill. The store owner was identified as Chong Hu Lu.
- The suspect entered Max Trading at approximately 1:46 p.m., police said.
- The suspect asked to look at jewelry behind the glass, but Chong refused as a matter of store policy.
- Chong told NBC Washington’s Aimee Cho that the suspect became upset and yelled “F**k you Chinese people, I hate you.”
- The suspect punched Chong in the face and fled the scene.
The aftermath: Chong suffered a busted mouth as a result of the attack and he took himself to a hospital.
- The suspect has not been arrested as of Wednesday afternoon.
- Chong’s wife, who tried to defend him during the incident, now fears for their family’s safety.
- “I couldn’t sleep the whole night last night,” she tells Cho. “Why do they treat us like this? We did nothing wrong.”
This surveillance video shows the attack. The attacker ran away + hasn’t been arrested. DC Police tell me they are “investigating the attack as potentially being motivated by hate/bias.” Lu tells me he had to get 14 stitches. Full story ahead at 4/5/6p on News4 @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/dJf2wdCyjH
— Aimee Cho (@AimeeCho4) May 5, 2021
- Max Trading has been in business for 22 years. The couple’s daughter reportedly begged her parents not to open their shop Wednesday, but they need to make ends meet.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said they are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. Anyone with information is urged to call (202) 727-9099 or text 50411.
Featured Image Screenshots via NBC Washington (left), Aimee Cho (right)
