Hate-crime charges possible for man making threats near Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s home

A Seattle man could be slapped with hate crime charges Wednesday after he was arrested over the weekend for allegedly standing outside Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s house and issuing threats while armed with a handgun.

Police said the 48-year-old man was arrested late Saturday after the progressive Democrat called 911 to report an unknown person in a vehicle outside.

The person was using obscene language and may have fired a pellet gun, the congresswoman told the dispatcher.

A neighbor told police that he drove by Ms. Jayapal’s house multiple times and said something like, “Go back to India, I’m going to kill you,” according to the Seattle Times.

Ms. Jayapal, 56, was born in India and moved to the U.S. at 16 to attend Georgetown University.

Washington state law defines a hate crime as a Class C felony that involves damaging property, injuring someone or harassing someone based on the victim’s “race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability.”

The incident occurred amid a broader debate about political threats and violence.

The House Jan. 6 hearings are shining a light on groups that fueled the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and protesters have rallied outside of Supreme Court justices’ home. One man was arrested after threatening to assassinate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.

Seattle officers found the man in the street near Ms. Jayapal’s house with his hands in the air and a .40-caliber handgun holstered on his waist, the Seattle Times reported.

“Congresswoman Jayapal confirms that incidents occurred at her Seattle home on Saturday night when she was present. The congresswoman and her family are safe and appreciate the many calls and good wishes she is receiving from constituents,” Jayapal spokeswoman Siham Zniber told the newspaper on Monday. “She is very grateful for the swift and professional response from the Seattle Police Department, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the FBI investigators who are working together diligently on the investigation and ensuring that she and her family stay safe.”