Alleged hate crime against Muslim WA House candidate

WA House candidate alleges hate crime in Mukilteo attack

A local candidate's campaign for office allegedly took a violent turn, with police investigating the attack to determine if it was a hate crime.

MUKILTEO, Wash. - A local candidate’s campaign for office allegedly took a violent turn. Riaz Khan, running for Washington State House of Representatives, claimed he was a victim of a recent hate crime.

"Those people were trying to get me. I think they were trying to slow me down. They were trying to basically finish me up. I luckily survived. If hit on the head, I wouldn’t be here today. Lucky, I survived," said Khan.

The attack happened at the intersection of Highway 525 and Goat Trail Road in Mukilteo overnight on Tuesday.

"I feel like this is hate crime," said Khan.

Khan, a former Mukilteo City Council member, is Muslim. He is the Republican candidate for the state’s 21st Legislative District. Khan said many of his campaign signs have been stolen during this election cycle.

"This is a crime. Signs are expensive and also takes a lot of time," said the candidate.

Khan said overnight on Tuesday, he made stops in Everett, Edmonds, and Mukilteo to check on his signs and replace those that were missing. During his route, Khan said he noticed he was being followed. Still, Khan stopped at the Mukilteo intersection of Highway 525 and Goat Trail Road to install a new campaign sign with a hammer.

According to the Mukilteo Police Report filed, it was during those dark hours when two men approached Khan "from behind" with "tree branches" and hit him at least twice.

"So, these guys came, two guys came so fast. And he started cursing ‘Foreigner. SOB.’ You know, all those words ‘MF.’ So, one guy, other guys said, ‘You Trump supporter.’" Khan recalled. "But when they started hitting on me, I just turn around. I was holding hammer in my hand. I turn around, as soon as they see the hammer they started walking back."

Khan said after the two men left, he immediately got in his car and dialed 911. He filed a police report with the responding officer on scene. In the report, the officer wrote, "I observed black marks on the back of Riaz’s clothing. Riaz later showed me his bare back and I did not see any obvious marks or injuries."

Khan shared a picture with FOX 13 Seattle showing red marks on his bare back.

"I was so hurt when they hit me," said Khan. "I got a lot of spasms, swelling back, my neck is hurting, backlash."

The Mukilteo Police Department said it is actively investigating all aspects of the incident to determine if it was racially, religiously, or politically motivated. The department further stated it is working with federal partners on the investigation.

"Any acts or threats of violence will not be tolerated within this community. I am incredibly proud and thankful to the dedicated officers and detectives who are working on this case, and I am confident that they will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice," said Police Chief Andy Illyn.

"I want to make sure the people get caught and, you know, justice will be served. Should not be happening," said Khan.

Due to the time of day and location of the incident, police said the investigation presented some challenges, including lack of witnesses, surveillance videos, or pictures. Detectives said they must get creative and use time-consuming methods to gather information. Anyone with information that could help detectives is asked to contact crimetips@mukilteowa.gov or make an anonymous tip at https://www.mycrimereport.us/.

Khan’s opponent and incumbent candidate, Rep. Strom Peterson, said political violence is never okay. He wrote in a statement to FOX 13 Seattle, "Whether it’s rhetoric targeting Muslims, immigrants, LGBTQ, or any other group, we have to join together to push back. I have known Riaz for many years and my thoughts are with him and his family. We cannot normalize this behavior."

At this point in the election cycle, there was some speculation circulating on social media about Khan’s claim of the incident. Staying true to his report of the attack against him, Khan responded to the doubters.

"I feel like elections come and go. People come and go, but the values are the same. We do not want to live in this hate world. We want to be leaving better world where we can prosper," said Khan. "We should not live in a fear world. Speak up. If you see unsafe, say something. Do something and follow up."

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