There is a disturbing report out this morning about a U.S. Marine who was reportedly attacked by a group of black teenagers at a McDonalds near downtown Washington D.C.
According to the Daily Caller, U.S. Marine and Iraq war veteran Christopher Marquez was quietly eating a hamburger in the corner when he was approached, called a racist and allegedly assaulted. He was also robbed and his credit cards were used to purchase items at a variety of stores and restaurant locations in the city.
A former Marine became the target of an alleged assault in a McDonald’s Friday night, as a crowd of youths cornered him and demanded he answer the question, “do you believe black lives matter?” Before knocking him unconscious and robbing him.
Christopher Marquez, a veteran of Iraq and recipient of the Bronze Star for valor, said he was dining at a McDonald’s in northwest D.C. when a group of black teenagers came up to him and allegedly began harassing him about the black lives matter movement. Marquez ignored them which prompted calls and shouts that he was a racist.
Marquez left the establishment after eating, but allegedly sustained a sudden blow to the back of his head outside the McDonald’s, which knocked him unconscious. When he woke up, his pants were ripped and wallet gone, which contained $400 in cash, three credit cards, his VA medical card, school identification, metro card and driver’s license.
"When I was in the Marine Corps, I served with people from many different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and races,” Marquez told TheDCNF. “Like all Marines, I fought for the freedom of all Americans and not just one particular group.”
Marquez suffered serious head injuries, which were treated at a local hospital. The blow Marquez received to the head outside of the McDonalds, where he was knocked unconscious, is similar to the phenomenon we've seen in the past with "the knockout game."
The alleged attack on Marquez isn't the first, but instead is part of a growing and alarming problem in Washington D.C. involving groups of black teenagers brutally assaulting people on the metro and on the streets.
Earlier this month, a graduate student was brutally assaulted and put in the hospital by a group of six female assailants while she was walking down the street. The D.C. metro system has also seen an increase in attacks that have been carried out by large groups of teenagers.
The assault prompted a response from university President Patricia McGuire, who said the growing bout of violence involving young people across the city needs to stop. She noted that this incident was particularly troubling because it was a group of girls attacking another female, reports Fox 5.
“We’ve been seeing it on Metro – several horrible stories about gangs of young kids on Metro terrorizing people,” McGuire said. “Elsewhere in the city, be aware of your surroundings. If you see a group of young people, unfortunately you have to be aware that maybe you need to protect yourself and we wish it weren’t that way.”
Crime in Washington D.C. has been on the rise and city officials are currently considering a measure that if passed, would issue payments to people for not breaking the law.