Ann Arbor police investigating apparent hate crime against Jewish teen

(CBS DETROIT) – Ann Arbor police are investigating an apparent hate crime after a 19-year-old man was assaulted early Sunday morning when asked about his religious background. 
The teen was walking in the area of Hill Street and South Forest around 12:45 a.m. Sunday when a group of unknown men approached him from behind and asked him if he was Jewish. When he replied “yes,” the group allegedly assaulted him before running away on foot. 
The victim reported the incident to Ann Arbor police early Sunday afternoon. 
Police say the victim suffered minor injuries and was not hospitalized. The department’s hate crimes detective is investigating. 
“I have communicated with the Univesity of Michigan police staff, and our goal is to discuss safety over the next few weeks,” said Ann Arbor Police Chief Andre C. Anderson. “There is absolutely no place for hate or ethnic intimidation in the City of Ann Arbor. Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes. We are committed to vigorously investigating this and other hate-motivated incidents and will work with the County Prosecutor’s office to aggressively prosecute those who are responsible.” 
University of Michigan President Santa Ono issued the following statement on the incident: 
“The safety of our campus community is our highest priority. We are working closely with the Ann Arbor police department as they investigate the assault which occurred this morning. We urge anyone with knowledge about the incident to share it with DPSS or the Ann Arbor police department. In turn, we will ask that perpetrators be held accountable for their actions. We stand firmly against antisemitism and all bias-motivated behavior. We are committed to creating a community where every student, faculty member, staff member or visitor can thrive without the fear of threats, intimidation or violence.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Ann Arbor police at 734-794-6939 or email police at [email protected].