Bothell woman worried that hit-and-run may be tied to hate crime

BOTHELL -- A Bothell woman says not only is she the victim of a hit-and-run, but she may also be the victim of a hate crime.

Maria Taylor’s car had been parked outside her home for a few days. When her son came to check on it Monday, he noticed damage on the front end. It was the end that was up against the curb, and there was no debris nearby.

So Taylor doesn’t think someone hit her car while it was parked. She thinks someone may have taken the car, hit something, and then brought the car back.



But she said what’s more troubling than the damage was the note with a racial slur that was left on the windshield.

“Now it’s like we feel targeted,” she said. “We’re not sure why it was done to us. Was it something we did? Is it someone in our neighborhood that we have to be worried about? That note takes it to a totally different level than just someone messed up our car.”

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating. Taylor said the deputies she talked to seemed surprised when she showed them the note, and told her they’d never had a case like this.

Taylor said she’s more confused by the crime than anything else. She’s hoping someone in the neighborhood saw something that will help her piece together what happened and who might be responsible.