A Maryland woman is charged with assault after police say she assaulted a stranger and made anti-gay comments in a Giant grocery store in Northern Virginia on Christmas Day.
Alexandria police shared information on the case as they unveiled a new hate crime policy on Monday. Cellphone video distributed by police shows a portion of the encounter.
“Please back up,” a man can be heard saying.
“Boy, get out of here with your gay ass!” a woman says.
Police said the woman is Shibritney Colbert, 34, of Landover. The man told police he was shopping at the Giant store at 3131 Duke Street when she began making derogatory statements about his sexual orientation and assaulted him.
“Based on the victim’s statement, comments exchanged prior to the assault and the totality of the circumstances, investigators believe the victim was targeted because of his sexual orientation,” police said in a statement.
Colbert is accused of pushing the man and throwing groceries while insulting him, police said. A 911 call reported a fight in the store, police said. Officers responded, and as an officer tried to detain Colbert, she fled, police said.
She was taken into custody Thursday and is being held at the Prince George’s County jail, police said. She will be extradited to Virginia to face charges including assault, property destruction and eluding police. She could face a bias enhancement, which could mean stiffer penalties if she’s found guilty.
Alexandria’s new hate crime policy
Her arrest comes as Alexandria police unveil a hate crime policy that’s been in the works for about a year. Under the policy, police officers would create a report for all hate-related incidents and notify their supervisor, who would then tell the police chief. A detective would immediately respond and start investigating. The department would put together twice-annual reports on hate crimes.
“Hate crimes are not just crimes against individuals; they are offenses that threaten the entire community and undermine the fundamental principles of dignity, equality and safety,” Chief Tarrick McGuire said.
Justice Department data for Virginia shows that reported hate crimes more than doubled from 2021 to 2023. Alexandria police said they typically see one to four hate-related incidents a year.
“One bias or hate crime is too many for our community,” McGuire said.
Hate crimes throughout the U.S. have been on the rise since 2019, with a slight decrease last year, FBI data shows.
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