Lynnwood man indicted for making racially motivated interstate threats

A Lynnwood man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday for a hate crime and four counts of interstate threats, according to a media release from the Department of Justice.

Joey David George, 37, is currently detained at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac.

According to records in the case, on July 19 and 20, George allegedly telephoned a grocery store in Buffalo, New York and threatened to shoot Black people in the store.

In a second call, George allegedly ranted to an employee about a “race war.”

The Buffalo grocery store was the Tops Friendly Markets, where 10 people were shot and killed in May.

Law enforcement was able to trace the phone number and identified George as the caller.

George is also charged with a phone call in May to a restaurant in San Bruno, California, where he allegedly threatened to shoot Black and Hispanic customers.

George is also charged with making threats to a business in Maryland and making bomb threats to a restaurant in Connecticut.

Interstate threats are punishable by up to five years in prison and the hate crime charge is punishable by up to ten years in prison.