A man entered Ezell’s Famous Chicken and waved a knife at two Hispanic employees while making racist statements at the Highway 99 location in Edmonds June 14, Snohomish County Superior Court documents say. 

Last week the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney charged the suspect, 47-year-old Marcus Damion Anderson, with four crimes: Second-degree assault, a hate crime offense and two counts of third-degree assault against two police officers. 

An employee told police Anderson had entered the store and asked to use the bathroom before “swinging a knife around,” threatening to cut another employee while yelling slurs and making racist statements, court documents say. The employee told police she “felt strongly” Anderson would stab either her or her coworker.

“I was coming out of the bathroom and I looked at him, he was carrying a knife and he pointed at me, threatening with it, and I quickly got scared,” the employee said in a statement translated from Spanish. 

There is no evidence to suggest Anderson knew either of the employees he threatened, Snohomish County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Sarah E. Johnson said in court documents. 

Anderson also spit water at three different police officers while being escorted to a police vehicle. 

Police found a knife and 20-30 fentanyl pills after searching Anderson’s person following his arrest. 

Anderson was in the Snohomish County Jail this week with his bail set at $5,000. He had seven outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court, was convicted of 16 misdemeanors and is an eight-time felon, including one count of vehicular homicide, court documents say. 

— By Ashley Nash