Texas man, 36, arrested for stabbing Palestinian-American in the chest in ‘hate crime’ and yelling racial slurs

Zacharia Doar, 23, was stabbed on Sunday near the University of Texas

Bert James Baker was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, after initiating altercation with group of young activists near UT campus in Austin on Monday

The altercation broke out after Baker rode his bicycle up to the truck conveying four men, tried to rip a flagpole with a keffiyeh scarf, then opened the tailgate and doors, yelling racial slurs at the occupants  

Prosecutors will make the final decision on whether to enhance the offense

Baker who claims he’s merely an alcoholic who’d had too many drinks, is being held in jail on $100,000 bond

Doar remains hospitalized, but is expected to survive

Bert James Baker, [photo], 36, was charged with aggravated assault after stabbing a Palestinian-American man in the chest on Sunday in what police say is a hate crime

A Texas man was arrested after stabbing a Palestinian-American in what police are calling a hate crime.
The victim, 23-year-old Zacharia Doar was stabbed in the chest on Sunday near the University of Texas at Austin campus during a fight with Bert James Baker, 36, according to police, leading to his hospitalization for treatment. 
Father-of-one Zacharia Doar and three other Muslim-Americans were riding in a truck after attending a pro-Palestine protest at the Texas capitol when Baker allegedly tried to rip a flagpole with a keffiyeh scarf reading ‘Free Palestine’ off of their vehicle, leading to a fight ensued, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Zacharia Doar, [photo], was stabbed in the chest on Sunday near the University of Texas campus while riding in a truck displaying support for Palestine. An altercation broke out after Baker rode his bicycle up to the truck, opened the tailgate and doors, yelling racial slurs at the occupants 

Doar is expected to recover, but Baker was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Police said Wednesday that their Hate Crimes Review Committee had determined that the stabbing met the definition of a hate crime. They have provided that information to prosecutors, who will make the final decision on whether to enhance the offense.

Mother of stabbing victim Zacharia Doar [right], is comforted by Shaimaa Zayan, [left,], as they stand near the podium during a press conference outside City Hall in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday

The Travis County District Attorney´s Office said Wednesday that they are in the process of receiving the evidence from police and ‘look forward to working with them.’
An arrest affidavit said that Baker, who was on a bicycle, rode up to the truck Doar and three others were riding in, opened the tailgate and doors and yelled racial slurs at them. 
The group exited the truck and approached Baker, who punched Doar in the shoulders, the affidavit said.
A fight broke out. Witnesses say Baker pulled out a long knife from his sweatshirt, rushed at the young men and stabbed the Doar. The victim managed to wrestle Baker to the ground after he was stabbed, allowing his friends to safely retrieve the knife.

Palestinian-American Zacharia Doar, seen [photo], with his son remains hospitalized but expected to recover from the knife attack

Two strangers driving past the scene stopped to help, and noticed Doar’s stab wound and his blood-soaked shirt. According to one, “(Doar) was clearly disoriented and about to fall over”.
“He was saying ‘I feel like there’s blood in my lungs.” The two Samaritans used the keffiyeh from the victim’s car to stop the bleeding before calling for help.
Doar was then transported to the hospital to treat stab wounds and a broken rib. He underwent surgery on Monday and is expected to make a full recovery in six weeks.

The pro-Palestine protest at the Texas capitol in Austin on Sunday. The victim was an attendee

When suspect was interviewed by police, he claimed he was an alcoholic and had more to drink that day than he normally did, the affidavit said.
Baker was being held in jail on Thursday on $100,000 bond.
The victim’s father, Nizar Doar, told reporters “He is in pain. He’s in agony.”
On Tuesday, Doar spoke at a press conference held by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“My son was yelling and screaming at four o’clock in the morning. And I couldn’t do anything about it except call nurses, saying ‘Please help him. Please help my son,” Doar said.

Threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities increased across the globe as a result of the current hostilities between Israel and Hamas. Israel invaded Gaza after an October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants, ever since, the U.S. has witnessed a surge in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim incidents.
CAIR shared that there has been a 200% increase in complaints of incidents from this time last year.