Police investigating hate crime after Silver Spring Rabbi attacked with wooden stake

(Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)

A man was arrested for attacking a Rabbi in Silver Spring on Monday in what police are calling a hate crime. 

According to police, just before 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 14, officers responded to the 1400 block of Arcola Avenue for a report of an assault. 

There, a Rabbi told police that he was walking down the sidewalk when a man, later identified as 47-year-old Junior Michael Reece, swung a wooden stake at him and hit him for unknown reasons. 

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Reece then left the area. Police say the attack was unprovoked and is now being investigated as a hate crime.

The victim suffered minor injuries from the assault.

Officers found Reece not far from the scene of the crime and took him into custody. He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Once cleared, Reece, who has no fixed address, was taken to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit where he was charged with felony assault and related crimes.