Group wants hate crime charges in restaurant attack

A Muslim advocacy group in Minnesota is calling for hate crime charges to be filed in an attack on a woman at a restaurant in suburban Minneapolis.

A criminal complaint says Jodie Burchard-Risch is accused of striking the Muslim woman with a beer mug after becoming upset that the victim was talking in a foreign language.

The complaint says Burchard-Risch was sitting in a nearby booth at Applebee's restaurant in Coon Rapids Oct. 30, overheard the woman talking and began yelling at her before attacking her. Burchard-Risch is charged with third-degree assault in Anoka County District Court.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Friday called for additional charges of a hate crime, saying the woman suffered deep cuts to her face. A phone listing for Burchard-Risch went unanswered.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.