Kendra Yoshinaga
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL)– Two teenagers suspected of participating in an assault and robbery on a former Marine earlier this month have been arrested, D.C. police confirmed.
Police arrested a 17-year-old male on charges of aggravated assault and a 17-year-old female on charges of robbery, according to a statement. Both suspects are from Northwest Washington, D.C.
The attack occurred outside of a McDonald’s on E Street NW near Gallery Place. The victim was Christopher Marquez, a 30-year-old American University student who received a Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a surveillance video released by police, Marquez can be seen on the ground as several people kick him.
Marquez, who is Hispanic, says that he believes the attack was racially motivated.
“They surrounded my table and kept asking me ‘Do you believe black lives matter,’” Marquez said. “Then they started calling me a racist.”
However, D.C. police said that they were unable to find a link between the suspects and the Black Lives Matter movement.
As of Tuesday, a GoFundMe campaign set up by a Connecticut man unrelated to Marquez has raised over $33,000 to help Marquez cover medical costs.
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