EDMONDS — Customers at Ezell’s evacuated after a man made racist comments to employees and threatened them with a knife in June, according to charges filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.
The suspect, 47, was charged last week with commission of a hate crime, second-degree assault and two counts of third-degree assault of a law enforcement officer.
On June 14, the Everett man entered the chicken restaurant at 22019 Highway 99 and asked to use the bathroom, according to the charging papers. He pulled out a knife and swung it at employees.
He threatened to cut two workers, making a statement about getting rid of “the Hispanics” and yelling racist slurs, charges say. Both employees identified as Hispanic, and feared for their lives.
“I was coming out of the bathroom and I looked at him,” an employee later told police in Spanish. “He was carrying a knife and he pointed it at me, threatening with it, and I quickly got scared.”
Neither employee was injured.
Edmonds police arrived on scene and detained the man, charges say. When an officer handed him a water bottle, the defendant spit on his chest. The officer then took him to another patrol car, where the man spit on the officer again. Police restrained the man.
The suspect has a lengthy criminal history, including vehicular homicide, hit-and-run injury and multiple counts of second and third-degree assault for an incident in Everett in 1996, according to charges. He served over eight years behind bars.
Hate crimes statewide rose 6% last year, according to data released this week. Everett police reported 16 incidents, including two against Latino and Hispanic people. Unlike much of the state, however, Snohomish County hate crimes were down from the previous year.
Edmonds saw two hate crimes last year, up from one reported in 2022, the data show.
The man remained in the Snohomish County Jail this week with bail set at $5,000.
Maya Tizon: 425-339-3434; maya.tizon@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @mayatizon.
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