A man fired a BB gun and shouted “Jews, Jews, Jews” at three Jewish teens leaving a synagogue in Baltimore Thursday, reports JTA.
No one was reported hurt. One of the pellets struck a window of the Bais Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore, an institute of religious learning.
The gunman, described as being “possibly of Middle Eastern descent,” drove away after firing the gun and shouting at the pedestrians on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. He has not been apprehended.
Police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
“We want to stop that. We want to let people know that’s not going to be tolerated in our communities,” Cpl. John Wachter of the Baltimore County Police told the local CBS affiliate WJZ.
Scott Shellenberger, the state attorney in Baltimore County, told WJZ that the suspect could be charged with a hate crime in addition to other criminal acts.
A BB gun is a type of air gun designed to shoot spherical pellets, or BBs. While potentially lethal, a shot from the gun is more likely to cause a sever and painful bruise, and can cause severe eye damage.