Woman Charged With Hate Crime Following Anti-Muslim Rant At East Bay Park
CASTRO VALLEY (CBS SF) – A woman has been charged with committing a hate crime following a confrontation caught on video involving a group of Muslims in an East Bay park earlier this month.
The Alameda County DA announced Thursday that Denise Sadler has been charged with a misdemeanor violation of civil rights, considered a hate crime, for the December 6th incident at Lake Chabot Regional Park near Castro Valley. Sadler has also been charged with misdemeanor battery.
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According to authorities, Sadler confronted Rasheed Albeshari and his friends while they were praying. The group said Sadler insulted their faith and accused them of being terrorists.
"She was yelling, 'Allah is Satan!' 'The Koran is evil!' and 'You are a bunch of brainwashed murderers!'" Albeshari told KPIX 5 in an interview last week.
Video of the confrontation posted to Facebook shows a park ranger confronting Sadler about her remarks. Sadler is then seen approaching the camera and apparently hits Albeshari with an umbrella and threw her coffee at him.
Authorities said Sadler is an employee of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Sadler is scheduled to appear in court on January 7, 2016 on the charges.
