A man in Washington state was reportedly arrested last week after he allegedly phoned racist threats to businesses, including threats to shoot Black people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.
Joey George of Lynnwood, a Seattle suburb, was in U.S. District Court in Seattle for a detention hearing on Monday. According to prosecutors, the 37-year-old man called a grocery store in Buffalo twice in July threatening to shoot Blacks and made statements about a “race war,” according to the Associated Press.
Prosecutors said George did not call Tops, the same grocery store where 10 Black people were killed in May, but did mention the attack.
According to investigators, George phoned threats to businesses in at least eight states.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Woods asked Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida for the defendant to remain jailed pending trial.
George’s attorney, Mohammad Hamoudi, argued against pre-trial detention. He said George had no criminal history and is a caretaker for his mother.
The judge agreed with prosecutors that detention was warranted.
More about the defendant can be found here.
