82-year-old Washington woman charged with hate crime after allegedly assaulting ‘brown skinned’ Trump supporters

The white woman was confused as to why two black women would have voted for Donald Trump for president.

According to the Edmonds Police Department, officers were called to the scene at the corner of SR104 and 100th Avenue West just before 1:00pm for a report of an assault and arrived to find multiple community members supporting Donald Trump for president.

When officers spoke to the suspect, she said she couldn’t understand why people of color would support Donald Trump. Edmonds police said the “suspect continued to show no remorse for the incident and attempted to push an officer while demonstrating how she acted.”

KOMO News obtained body camera footage in which the 82-year-old woman told police, “I approached her, and I said I want to know why you're voting for Trump. That's the only thing. And. And I said because you're brown-skinned."

55-year-old Gina Powell said the suspect got in her face as she was rallying in support for Trump and commented on her attire and skin color before pushing her and punching her in the chin. A second victim, a 66- year-old Mary Jennings, intervened and stepped between the suspect and the Powell. The suspect then punched her as well.

Though neither victim suffered significant injury nor required medical treatment, officers interviewed multiple witnesses to the incident and established probable cause for a Hate Crime arrest under RCW 9A.36.080. According to police, the suspect continued to show no remorse for her behavior and had the potential to continue her behavior toward others. The woman is perhaps still confused as to why black women would support Trump.

On Wednesday, a newly released police body camera video shows the suspect explaining to responding officers what happened. Powell told KOMO News, "I was just shocked at just the presence of mind, and she made it very clear it was my skin color."

Powell added that she had just met Jennings on the same corner several days before at that the pair had become friends and joined a small group of other supporters who had stood on the same street corner three days in a row leading up to the presidential election, waving to pedestrians and drivers while holding signs, carrying Trump flags and chanting.

They told the outlet that they didn't see the woman approach them because they were discussing abortion with another woman who had approached the group. Jennings and Powell said when the woman they were speaking to started crying, they attempted to console her and that’s when the 82-year-old approached their group and confronted Powell her support for Trump and her skin color.

Jennings told KOMO, "Not everybody on the left is correct, not everyone on the right is correct, both sides could though bring important information to the center, we can, we need to come together, we can't continue the division." Both women added that the attack will not discourage them and they will continue to proudly support Trump.

Powell said, "He got shot by a bullet And he said ‘fight, fight, fight,’ I got a little jab in my chin, so I'm not sitting down.”