July 22 (UPI) — A Kentucky man was arrested and charged Monday with a federal hate crime for pulling a loaded gun on a Palestinian American at a restaurant in March.
The Justice Department said in a statement that an indictment was unsealed Monday accusing Melvin Litteral III of threatening a Palestinian American man and practicing Muslim while they were “enjoying the goods, services and facilities of a local restaurant” on March 28.
Little about the crime was revealed by the Justice Department, but local reports published following the incident state it occurred at the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen on Walden Drive in Lexington.
The victim in the court document is identified as O.S. Following the incident, Omar Shalash identified himself as the victim in a lengthy post on X, screen shots of which were published online by LEX 18.
In the post, Shalash states he and his wife were at the restaurant to break their fast when harassed by a man who was making racist and anti-Muslim remarks.
Shalash said he attempted to confront the man about his comment who then pushed him and produced a firearm.
“He pulled a gun out of his pocket and stuck it to my head and asked me, ‘Do you want to die, Arabia?’” Shalash said.
Officers with the Lexington Police Department took Litteral into custody that night at his home, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported in the days following his arrest.
According to police cited in the report, Litteral tried to slam his front door on the arresting officers and then used his body to prevent their entrance. He then resisted arrest by not willingly giving up his hands to be handcuffed.
The federal prosecutors have charged Litteral with a hate crime offense and a second firearms charge. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for the hate crime offense and a mandatory minimum penalty of seven years in prison to run consecutively for the firearm offense.
The alleged crime occurred amid Israel’s war against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and a spike in hate incidents directed at Palestinians and Muslims in the United States.
According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, it received 3,578 complaints during the last three months of last year, starting with October, which is when the Israel-Hamas war began.
“We welcome the hate crime charge in this case and thank federal law enforcement authorities for their swift and professional actions to apprehend a suspect,” CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said Monday in a statement.
“No American should be targeted by hatred or violence because of their religion, ethnicity or national origin. Our country has been consumed by a wildfire of anti-Palestinian racism and anti-Muslim bigotry spread by those who seek to justify the genocide in Gaza by dehumanizing Palestinians and Muslims. It must stop.”
The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky at the University of Kentucky, has earned international accreditation from ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum for its work in horticulture and native plant conservation.
The Arboretum, located on UK’s campus, is a 100-acre public garden with native plant collections, a living museum and walking trails.
“ArbNet Accreditation highlights the Arboretum’s commitment to horticulture and conservation, and our commitment to serve the people and communities of Kentucky through our mission,” Scott Smith, The Arboretum director at the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, said.
Founded in 1991 and designated the Official State Botanical Garden of Kentucky in 2000, The Arboretum promotes environmental education, research and conservation through year-round programming and attractions such as Walk Across Kentucky and the Kentucky Children’s Garden, according to ArbNet.
The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program, in partnership with The Morton Arboretum, recognizes arboreta that meet professional standards for plant collections, horticulture, conservation and education.
The Arboretum has received a level three accreditation. According to ArbNet, “Level III accreditation is granted to arboreta with a minimum of 500 species or taxa and those that contribute meaningful involvement in scientific research, conservation, or ex situ collections.”
Level three accreditation also requires a governing group, paid management, extensive educational and public programming initiatives and collaboration with other institutions, according to ArbNet.
“Accreditation is a significant step on our path to excellence and distinction at the Arboretum,” Smith said. “It is worth noting that accreditation is not only about great botanical collections but is also based on excellence in community education and programming.”
With this recognition, The Arboretum is now listed in the Morton Register Arboreta, a global database that shares arboreta and gardens dedicated to plant conservation.
5 things to know about George Clooney
A minute-long dive into five facts about the Kentucky native and Hollywood icon George Clooney.
An infamous chapter in Kentucky history will make its big screen debut at the renowned 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival, held in Austin, Texas in March.
Part true crime, part cartoon — and featuring a whole lot of weed — festival organizers announced that “Cornbread Mafia,” directed by Louisville native Evan Mascagni and produced by Merry-Kay Poe, CEO of Unbridled Films, will make its world premiere at the annual event.
“This is a true Kentucky grown story and we are really excited and honored to have the film included in the lineup at the 2026 SXSW,” Poe told the Courier Journal. “This is the second largest film festival in the country after Sundance so it’s a big deal for the project and the Kentucky film industry.”
The festival will be the Kentucky-made documentary’s world premiere, telling the true story of the Cornbread Mafia, a group of Kentucky farmers, all sons of tobacco farmers, moonshiners, and bootleggers, who built the largest domestic marijuana syndicate in U.S. history.
What followed was straight out of Kentucky folklore: lion cubs on the farm, backroad police chases, and a code of silence that baffled prosecutors. Part true crime and part cartoon, the film blends community, the war on drugs, and a whole lot of weed with the humor and heart of the folks who lived it.
The Cornbread Mafia was run by Johnny Boone, a charismatic modern-day folk hero who came to be known as the “Godfather of Grass.” Boone died in 2024 but several living members of the group, including Joe Keith Bickett, Jimmy Bickett, and Bobby Joe Shewmaker, will attend the SXSW film premiere in March and sit on a panel.
“Cornbread Mafia” is scheduled to screen three times at SXSW on March 12, 16 and 18.
“After ‘Cornbread Mafia’ screens at the festival, our plan is to sell the documentary to a streaming service,” Poe said. “We’d also like to created a scripted series. It’s such a crazy story.”
The SXSW Festival, founded in 1987, features conferences, festivals and workshops and is known as a major destination for innovation. The 2026 SXSW Festival runs March 12-18.
Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.
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