BURLINGTON — A city man is being charged with a hate crime after calling a woman wearing a hijab, or headscarf, a terrorist and pointing what appeared to be a gun at her, according to police.
The incident allegedly occurred just before 5 p.m. Tuesday while the woman was walking with her child on North Champlain Street. She was able to leave the scene with a bystander’s help and went immediately to the police station on North Avenue, according to police.
Using the woman’s description of the man and that of a witness, police identified Michael Kochalian as a suspect. He was arrested at his home last week, but police said they didn’t find a firearm.
Kochalian pleaded not guilty to aggravated disorderly conduct enhanced by a hate crime penalty Wednesday in Chittenden County Superior Court.
Kochalian has a long criminal history and is well known to Burlington police, according to a news release from the department. He was initially held at the Chittenden County Correctional Facility on $500 bail. He has two other pending cases in which he faces charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct, according to police.
Kochalian was later transferred to a psychiatric facility where he is being held pending a competency evaluation, the Chittenden County state’s attorney’s office said Monday.
“Our officers take hate-motivated crimes very seriously, and their response here was fast and decisive,” said Police Chief Brandon del Pozo in a statement. “Attacks against individuals based along the lines of race, religion, gender or any other identity are intolerable and violate the basic values of our community.”
