A man wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap was attacked and robbed by two men while walking in Germantown Saturday night, according to county police.
After they were called to the scene of the attack in the 18000 block of Cottage Garden Drive near Northwest High School, police said they found the two trying to hide in a group of children playing baseball.
Police arrested Jovan Crawford, 27, of Germantown, and Scott Duncan Roberson, 25, of Washington, D.C., and charged them with robbery and second-degree assault.
The two harassed the Germantown man, asking why he was wearing the hat, and he responded that he was entitled to his own views, according to a police account released Monday.
Crawford and Roberson began striking the man, telling him to remove the hat, until he fell, and then stole and damaged the man’s property, police said. Authorities did not say what property was taken or damaged.
“Make America Great Again” was a campaign slogan of President Donald Trump, often featured in lettering on hats worn by supporters.
Bias incidents declined in the county in 2018, returning to 2016 levels, according to an annual report released by county police in March. The report attributed a 2017 spike in bias incidents to a bump in crimes in the months following the November 2016 presidential election.
Politically-charged incidents are always a possibility given how polarizing elections have become, county police spokesman Capt. Tom Jordan said.
Crawford is scheduled to appear in Rockville District Court in early May. An initial appearance has not been scheduled for Roberson. Crawford is currently being held in a county detention center. Bond information was not available for Roberson.
Attorney information was not available in online records as of Monday.