Arlington man Kurt Madsen, 53, has been found guilty of attacking two Hispanic construction workers with a construction tool in Northwest Washington.
On July 13, 2019, Madsen approached the workers near Seventh Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW and asked to use their power washer. After being denied permission, he became enraged and began screaming racist and xenophobic epithets. He then picked up a scraper and struck one of the victims in the back, attempting to stab him in the stomach. The second victim tried to intervene, and Madsen struck him in the face several times, cutting his face and loosening two of his teeth.
Two bystanders saw the attack and stopped to help. One bystander took the scraper from Madsen and remained on the scene until police arrived. The other bystander called 911. Madsen was arrested at the scene and detained for 160 days before trial.
Madsen was found guilty of two bias-related assaults and possession of a prohibited weapon on April 26, 2022. He was sentenced to 540 days in jail, but the judge suspended the jail term to the time already served by Madsen, on the condition that he successfully complete two years of probation.
U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Robert J. Contee III commended the work of those who investigated the case, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Helfand and Bonnie Lindemann, who prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shalin Nohria and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Millicent Jones, who investigated the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is committed to enforcing both federal and local hate and bias-related crime laws. Prosecuting bias-related crimes is critical to keeping our community safe, and all members of the community should feel secure and protected from such attacks.
For more information, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/hatebias-related-crimes.
Related Federal Cases
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- Karim Clayton, Enhanced Second-Degree Theft, District of Columbia 2024 · District of Columbia
- Deandre Pettus, First-Degree Murder, District of Columbia 2024 · Connecticut
- Ronald Hall, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, District of Columbia 2024 · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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