Austin police arrested a man after an attack that investigators are now calling a hate crime. For the first time, the victim and his family are sharing their story. NBC 5’s Tahera Rahman sat down with them today.
Austin Police now say the stabbing attack of a Tarrant County man over the weekend meets the definition of a hate crime.
Zacharia Doar can't walk without help or speak without gasping for air. Since being stabbed on Sunday in Austin, he can't hold his 5-month-old baby, either, who's sick with the flu.
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“Me coming home, not being able to hold him ... that hurt. That’s what hurt the most," Doar said.
Zacharia said he and his dad, Nizar, had gone from Tarrant County to Austin for a pro-Palestine Rally on Sunday. After the event, Nizar drove back home, while Zacharia decided to go out to eat with friends.
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His car had a Palestinian scarf, Keffiyeh, tied around his passenger rearview mirror, along with the word, "Palestine." Zacharia was in the passenger seat of his car at a stop sign.
"And all of a sudden, this big bang happened on the truck. So, they thought somebody hit the truck, they were looking around to see what happened. All of a sudden, the door opened up," Nizar explained.
Zacharia said 36-year-old Bert James Baker had opened his passenger door and dragged him out by his legs.
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“This mad man, this evil, dragged my son from his legs to the floor. Thank God my son is a big boy and he got up, tried to defend himself," Nizar said.
The Doars said a fight ensued as Zacharia's friends tried to help him break free. They said Baker was yelling racial slurs.
The group of friends started heading back to the car when Zacharia said he saw Baker pull out a knife and walk toward one of his friends.
"And I yelled, ‘Knife! Knife, knife! And he ran towards one of my friends that was facing away from him. He is younger than me, he’s a dear brother to me, and I couldn’t just let him get stabbed in the back unknowingly," Zacharia said.
Zacharia said he jumped at Baker and got stabbed.
“When I swung him to the ground, is whenever he kind of just hooked it and it got around onto my side," Zacharia said.
Austin Police initially called the attack “bias-motivated." On Tuesday, the department said after further review, "the facts of the case meet the definition of a hate crime."
Baker is currently charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Austin Police said it is up to the Travis County District Attorney's Office to "make the final decision on enhancing the offense to a hate crime."
“What is his crime? That he’s Palestinian? What is his crime? That he had a keffiyeh on his truck?” said Odi Doar, Zacharia's mom. “We respect everybody's religion and culture and beliefs. The only thing that we say is: Respect ours.”
Nizar said he thought he was going to lose his son.
“We came into the U.S. after the American dream. And my dream, and our dream, was not a big house or a big car. We want to live in peace and tranquility. We want to be able to cast our opinion without being jeopardized of being killed or shot or even harassed," said Nizar.
The family said the incident is indicative of anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim hate that they feel has gotten worse since the war on Gaza began on Oct. 7. According to the Council on American Islamic Relations' DFW chapter, complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents have increased in the last three months, up over 200% compared to the same time last year.
In November, three Palestinian students, also wearing keffiyehs, were shot in Vermont, leaving one of them paralyzed. Authorities are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. An Illinois landlord faces a hate crime charge after police said he fatally stabbed a 6-year-old Muslim boy and injured his mother.
Odi said she doesn't feel safe going out on her runs, walks, or even grocery trips, anymore, as a woman who wears a hijab, or head covering.
"These are not crimes, this is our right," she said.
The war was triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, in which 1,200 people were killed and another 240 kidnapped. Israel has responded with a military campaign that has killed more than 27,000 people.
"That is not acceptable. There are so many other solutions that we can bring to the table to put this to an end. And it all starts with an immediate ceasefire," Nizar said.
The Doars want President Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire, and worry the attacks at home won't stop until that happens.
“Arlington is a very safe place to live in. Mansfield is a very safe place to live in. Austin used to be a very safe place to live in. We don’t feel that anymore," Nizar said. "All of this, because our politician, the one we put in office, the one we voted for, we are demanding for them to stop this evil. This evil needs to stop immediately. It’s hunting us."
“How many more attacks are we going to have to see on the news happening? Like, when is it going to stop? It needs to stop," said Odi.
The family said it'll be a six to eight-week recovery for Zacharia, and they're grateful for his medical treatment that will allow him to get back to normal.
They said it makes them think about thousands who don't have medicine, food, or water in Gaza, and they hope their pain can be used to end the suffering of thousands of innocent civilians there.
“It’s not a Palestinian thing. I am not a Palestinian. I am a Mexican. Full on Mexican. It is about humanity. That’s what it’s about," Odi said.
