12-year-old girl arrested for hate crime against Muslim students, officials say

WATERBURY, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - A 12-year-old girl in Connecticut was arrested after police said she committed a hate crime against two Muslim classmates.

Officials said the attack happened on March 3 at Wallace Middle School in Waterbury.

According to officials, the two victims were wearing hijab when they were physically assaulted by fellow students.

All of the students involved were in seventh grade. The two 14-year-old victims, who are also twins, suffered minor injuries and had to go to the hospital.

The twins have not been back to school since the attack out of fear. They said they were assaulted in gym class because of their religious beliefs and head coverings.

The twins made sure to take pictures after the attack as evidence they were assaulted by fellow students. One of the girls suffered a bloody nose, bruises on her face and a swollen eye. The second girl suffered a long scrape across her neck.

The other students involved did not require any medical attention.

After interviewing multiple witnesses, police said they determined the altercation was motivated by religion and/or ethnicity, meeting the legal definition of a hate crime.

The unnamed girl was charged with intimidation based on bigotry and bias in the first and second degree.

A second girl was referred to a youth diversionary program as an alternative to arrest based on her involvement in the incident.

Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said the department is committed to thoroughly investigating all claims of bias-related incidents and ensuring student safety.

“While this was not part of a widespread problem, this is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to ensure our students are safe and respectful of one another,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Darren Schwartz said in part.

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