A Maryland woman has been arrested and could face hate crime charges after a violent, anti-gay attack was caught on video during the holiday season. According to the police report, the incident happened on Christmas Day at a Giant grocery store in Alexandria, Virginia. Cell phone video shows 34-year-old Shibritney Colbert pushing an unnamed gay man, striking him with a shopping cart, and throwing groceries while shouting slurs about his sexuality. Colbert says in the video, “Boy, get out of here with your gay ass!” The video has been viewed more than 6 million times on Twitter.
The victim posted the video, writing, “Just got hate crimes in the grocery store for being gay, merry Christmas.” He later described the incident as traumatic, explaining he recorded the encounter because he needed enough evidence to protect himself. Police say Colbert fled when officers arrived, but was arrested on January 8. She faces multiple charges, and the case is being reviewed for bias-based enhancements. Alexandria police also announced a new hate crime policy aimed at improving investigations and community trust, as anti-LGBTQ violence continues to rise nationwide.
