Man arrested for alleged hate crime against Jewish man in West Seattle

A man was arrested Monday in West Seattle for an alleged hate crime against a Jewish man.

An officer arrived at 4203 Alaska Avenue Southwest around 1:30 p.m. after reports of an assault. The officer found a 71-year-old Jewish man whose mouth was covered in blood and whose lips were swollen, according to a Seattle Police Department report.

Men get into argument spurred by Gaza poster in West Seattle

The officer gathered that a man was walking his dogs when he approached the Jewish man, who was tearing down a Gaza poster on the north end corner of California Avenue Southwest and Southwest Alaska Street.

The two got into an argument. The Jewish man said the man called him a “zionist pig” and then walked toward him and headbutted him. Meanwhile, the man asserted that the two walked into each other, causing them to headbutt each other.

The Jewish man said he followed after the man, asking, “Why did you hit me?”

The man allegedly turned back around and walked toward him. Fearing being hit again, the Jewish man pepper-sprayed the man.

The man said he had to defend himself after being pepper-sprayed and was “blindly swinging his fists,” resulting in a tussle. He said he hit the Jewish man a couple of times.

The Jewish man said he was immediately knocked down and punched around six times. The Jewish man believed he was being attacked because he was Jewish.

A witness said he saw the man punching the Jewish man, grabbed the man’s dog’s leash, and called 911.

Man arrested for alleged hate crime

The officer determined that the man had assaulted the Jewish man because he was Jewish.

The man was arrested and booked into the King County Jail on investigation of a hate crime.

Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest