Was Bensalem Golden Corral mob violence a hate crime?

On Sunday, the Golden Corral in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania, was left trashed by shocking mob violence.

Over two dozen Black men and women appear to surround three Latino brothers. They throw punches and hurl chairs at them. At least two of the Latino brother use chairs themselves. Employees struggle to get the mob to back off. The restaurant was left wholly trashed.

One of the Latino men seen in the video is Alexis Rios. He told local media that another family became enraged because he received his steak before them. Rios asked for a rare steak, which took less time to cook. Rios says he picked up a chair in self-defense after being surrounded. The man taking the cellphone video appears to say something about a steak at the end of the video, but it is hard to made out the complete comment.

The mob violence occurred during the post-church Sunday rush, and many of the perps appear to have been dressed up for church. Police say they are still investigating, and the instigator could face a “simple assault” charge. Bensalem is less than 9% Black.