Juvenile Accused Of Hate Crime For Waterbury School Assault: PD

WATERBURY, CT — A 12-year-old female student is accused of committing a hate crime for a March 3 altercation at Wallace Middle School which injured two Muslim students.

The juvenile was charged Friday with first and second-degree intimidation based on bigotry and bias, according to police. Her case has been referred to Waterbury Juvenile Court.

Police said they interviewed “numerous” witnesses following the incident, which involved four female seventh-graders.

A second student, a 13-year-old, was previously referred to a youth diversionary program as an alternative to arrest for her involvement, police said.

Two 13-year-old students sustained minor injuries, but did not require medical treatment on scene, according to police. Family members of the injured students asserted they were targeted due to their religion. Police and the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office agreed, police said.

“Investigators determined that the altercation was motivated by religion and/or ethnicity, meeting the legal definition of a hate crime,” police said, in a press release Friday.

Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said in the release, “Every student deserves to feel secure and respected in their learning environment, and we will continue to work closely with our school partners to uphold that standard.”

The school district has taken disciplinary action against the two students, school officials said. They did not elaborate on the nature of the discipline. The district indicated it is enhancing school safety measures also.

Interim School Superintendent Darren Schwartz said, “While this was not part of a widespread problem, this is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to ensure our students are safe and respectful of one another.”

In a Facebook post Saturday, the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said education on Islam and anti-Muslim bigotry is needed.

“It’s a tragedy that two hijabi middle school students were attacked,” the organization wrote. “We are working night and day to protect the civil rights of the Muslim community in Connecticut.”