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Iraq veteran Christopher Marquez was battered and robbed at a McDonald’s restaurant from Washington D.C., local authorities have recently announced.
As revealed by the Metropolitan Police department, the attack happened on Friday, February 12, at approximately 10:30 p.m., as 30-year old Christopher Marquez was dining alone at the fast food establishment located at 911 E Street NW in Penn Quarter.
The veteran had been with the Marine Corps between 2003 and 2011, his bravery and tenacity being rewarded with a Bronze Star Medal following the Second Battle of Fallujah (also referred to as Operation Phantom Fury), which took place between November and December 2004.
Marquez had even been one of the infantrymen captured in an iconic photograph while moving the badly wounded Sergeant Major Bradley Kasal out of a Fallujah house after a hellish firefight.
However, it appears that all these acts of audacity weren’t familiar to a group of 5 African-American teens and youngsters, aged between 16 and 21, who approached the Iraq veteran’s table located in the back of the restaurant, taking advantage that there was no one nearby to witness the ambush.
The gang began bullying Marquez, asking him what he thought about the Black Lives Matter campaign, meant to combat police brutality and violence against black people and to discourage racial profiling and inequality.
Given the fact that the former Marine didn’t react in any way to the taunting launched by his tormentors, the group of young people continued to pick on him, saying that he was obviously a racist.
In an effort to avoid an imminent confrontation, the Iraq veteran left the McDonald’s eatery, but was promptly followed by his bullies, who struck him in the head using a handgun, knocking him out temporarily.
When Marquez eventually regained consciousness, he realized that his pants had been torn apart, and his wallet was gone.
The perpetrators had therefore stolen approximately $400, his Veterans Health Identification Card, as well his other identify cards, debit cad, 3 credit cards and other important documents that he had kept in his billfold.
Marquez managed to reach his apartment after calling a cab, and upon meeting him in a such a deplorable state the building superintendent immediately alerted 911 dispatchers about the attack.
First responders promptly arrived at the scene, transporting the victim to George Washington University Hospital, where Marquez received emergency medical care for his head injuries.
More extensive treatment will be provided by Veterans Affairs physicians, as soon as the patient manages to renew his identification documents, which have all been lost in the attack.
Local authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, as suspects remain on the loose, with little information that could help identify them, except for the images captured by the establishment’ surveillance cameras.
According to DeAnthony Mason, manager at the McDonald’s restaurant where the assault unfolded, the five perpetrators had been involved in another crime before this one, and law enforcement had been pursuing them ever since.
Following their more recent felony, the youngsters have already used their muggee’s USAA debit card, transactions amounting to over $115 being reported at a local Walmart, at a Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurant, and at a liquor store.
Meanwhile, the Iraq veteran who fell victim to their violent attack has declared that he is convinced that the robbery was actually a hate crime, motivated by the fact that he is Hispanic.
As Marquez explained, while serving his country in military combat, he represented all the ethnic groups across the nation, without ever believing that persons of a certain race or background deserved less consideration or respect. That is why he is shocked that he was attacked so savagely, without any reason or justification.
According to Marquez, numerous assaults against white individuals have actually been committed by African-Americans in recent months, but such incidents remain under-reported by journalists, who prefer to focus on presenting solely violent acts targeting black people.
Image Source: America’s Freedom Fighters
