A man allegedly made an antisemitic remark before he slapped and spit on a teacher near a Jewish school on Miami Beach, police said.
Slemons Graves, 33, was arrested Wednesday on charges of strongarm robbery and battery with prejudice, Miami Beach Police said.
Miami-Dade Corrections
Miami-Dade Corrections
Slemons Graves
Officers had responded to the Lehrman Community Day School on Tuesday after the teacher said she was robbed after parking her car along the 500 block of 77th Street, police said.
She said she was walking toward the school when a man approached her and made an antisemitic remark then slapped her in the back of her head and spit in her face, police said.
The man, later identified as Graves, grabbed her cellphone and repeatedly smashed it on the ground, causing it to shatter, police said.
The teacher said she’d never had any interactions with the man before but was wearing a Star of David necklace which is how he knew she was Jewish, an arrest report said.
Graves fled with the victim’s phone but was found and arrested on Wednesday morning, the report said.
“Our department has zero tolerance for acts of hate, violence, or intimidation in our community,” Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne A. Jones said in a statement. “The swift arrest in this case reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting our residents, visitors, and faith-based institutions. Miami Beach will always stand firmly against antisemitism and any form of hate.”