Police say a 17-year-old man and a 17-year-old woman were both arrested in connection to the attack. The male has been charged with aggravated assault, while the female has been charged with robbery.
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Marquez told police he was sitting by himself, eating a meal in the restaurant, when a group of at least four teenagers or young adults gathered around his table.
A surveillance video released by police last week shows a black male assailant in a white tank top punch Marquez in the head from behind as Marquez walked out of a McDonald’s on E Street across from Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters, according to police.
Marquez, 30, is a student at American University who served eight years in the Marines and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I believe that I should get the same type of protection as other people in this country as well”, Marquez said.
“The kids were asking me if I think that black lives mattered”, Marquez told USA Today. After ignoring them, he was called a racist, he said, though he continued to eat. “I felt they were really trying to intimidate me and just trying to start a confrontation with me”.
Marquez says that when he left the restaurant, one of the perpetrators hit him in the head, knocking him unconscious. Additional details are expected to emerge as the suspects make initial appearances in D.C. Superior Court.
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A GoFundMe page in support of Marquez has raised more than $34,000 for the Marine since his assault.
