A man sporting a “white power” tattoo is behind bars after allegedly attacking a black man and white woman while they kissed.
Daniel Rowe, 32, approached the couple Tuesday night as they were smoking and kissing outside a bar in Olympia, Washington, police told The Olympian.
The male victim told the outlet that he heard his girlfriend cry out and then felt a sensation that he thought was Rowe punching him. He chased after Rowe and tripped him, causing Rose to fall into a car and be knocked unconscious. That was when the victim realized he had been stabbed in the hip, not punched, and his girlfriend had been cut with the same knife.
An ambulance took the man to a local hospital, but his injuries weren’t life-threatening, police said.
Police are treating the attack as a hate crime due to statements Rowe, who is white, allegedly made once in custody. Cops said he told them he was part of a white supremacy group and that he believed recent anti-police graffiti in Olympia was the work of Black Lives Matter protesters, KOMO News reported. He also allegedly characterized his actions as helping law enforcement.
“At one point he stated that he knew we couldn’t hurt the black groups on the street so he wanted to let us know that he takes care of them for us,” police said in a statement obtained by KOMO. “That he is able to fight those fights and will continue the fight against all of the Black Lives Matters people.”
Rowe also has “extensive” white supremacist-themed tattoos, including the words “white power” and “skinhead,” King 5 reports.
He’s facing two counts of first-degree assault and one count of malicious harassment. His arraignment is Aug. 30.
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