The Montgomery County Police Department arrested a Germantown man after an altercation with two off-duty police officers at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School on Thursday, according to a press release.
The man was arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct, during which time he used antisemitic slurs, according to the police report.
“At approximately 2:54 p.m., off-duty officers assigned to school security saw a vehicle circling the parking lot without a valid student pick-up pass. After directing the driver away, the officers observed the same vehicle return and the driver refused to stop when asked.
The driver then drove through traffic cones in the [Lower School] pick-up line and moved into lanes with oncoming vehicles,” according to the MCPD press release.
When the driver, 38-year-old Joseph Amr Khairy Abdalla, finally stopped, he would not get out of his vehicle or identify himself or his purpose at the school, according to MCPD. A letter to the CESJDS community stated that Abdalla is an assistant with the afterschool karate program that partners with CESJDS.
Abdalla resisted and became “combative” when officers attempted to remove him from his car. During the altercation, a pocket knife fell out of his pocket. Officers were then able to calm him and take him into custody, according to MCPD.
Two off-duty officers were treated for minor injuries on the scene.
First District officers arrived at the Rockville school to help transport Abdalla to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. According to MCPD, Abdalla faces multiple counts of assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
“Based on the investigation there is no evidence at this time that Abdalla had intent to harm anyone associated with the school,” the MCPD press release stated.
Abdalla is now banned from CESJDS property and was also terminated by Kyle’s Karate, the martial arts program where he was employed, CESJDS Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus told Washington Jewish Week.
“It’s pretty clear that when the officers asked [Abdalla] to identify himself, he refused, and he was uncooperative and assaulted an officer, so we’re not going to have someone like that come on campus any longer,” Malkus said.
He condemned the “antisemitic slurs and other hate language” that Abdalla used during his arrest, which Malkus said oppose the school’s values and mission statement.
“Once that happened, it became very clear that we could never have him on campus again,” Malkus said.
In a statement, Malkus expressed gratitude to the police officers who are present on CESJDS’ campus daily, as well as CESJDS’ internal security team, for their swift response.
“The swift and professional response from our security staff and off-duty Montgomery County Police Officers onsite ensured the safety of our community. We are deeply grateful for their courage, professionalism, and decisive actions,” CESJDS administrators wrote in a statement to the community Thursday.
“We understand how unsettling incidents like this can be, and we remain committed to prioritizing the safety and well-being of every member of our school community.”
Malkus told Washington Jewish Week that CESJDS parents and families were “really appreciative of the wonderful security we have.”
Chief of Police Marc Yamada said, “The actions of these officers shows our heightened efforts to protect our community and the courage of officers to take decisive action for the safety of all.”
Two police officers will be present on each of CESJDS’ two campuses today, as planned before this incident, the statement read.
“We are profoundly troubled by the rise in antisemitic rhetoric and other hate crimes, both locally and nationally and have protocols and systems in place to keep our community safe,” Malkus said in a statement.
