WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia man pleaded guilty today to three counts of simple assault, including one with a hate-bias enhancement, for punching and pushing three adults of Chinese descent as they walked on a street in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Patrick Trebat, 39, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Michael O’Keefe to a total of 630 days in jail, with all but 210 days suspended, on the condition that he successfully complete three years of supervised probation.
But for the victims appearing to be from another country, and speaking a language unknown to Trebat, this attack would not have occurred. According to the government’s evidence, the attack took place at about 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2021. The victims – a man, woman, and their adult son – were walking near the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue NW and Fulton Street NW, speaking in a Chinese dialect. Trebat began shouting profanities. As the victims arrived in the 3700 block of Fulton Street NW, they attempted to cross the street to get away from Trebat. He shouted at them, saying, among other things, “You are not American,” and “Go back to your country.”
Trebat then ran up and attacked the older man from behind, punching him in the back of the head and then pushing him with enough force to cause him to fall to the ground. Trebat then pushed the woman to the ground from behind. The couple’s son attempted to stop the attack, and Trebat punched him in the face.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department responded to the scene and all three victims identified Trebat as their attacker. He was arrested.
As a result of the attack, the older man experienced pain in the back of his head and suffered a broken wrist. The woman experienced pain in her arm and had to undergo medical evaluation. Their son suffered a fractured finger. All also sustained cuts and bruises.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim /Witness Advocate Christina Bloodworth.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert K. Platt and Caroline P. Coates, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Prosecuting bias-related crimes is critical to keeping our community safe. When one member of a group in the community is the victim of a bias-related crime, all members carry with them a fear that they, too, may be targeted because of who they are. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (USAO-DC) is committed to enforcing both federal and local hate and bias-related crime laws.
For more information:https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/hatebias-related-crimes