Early Tuesday in southeast Vancouver, a late-night scene at a gas station reportedly turned terrifying when a 54-year-old man in a Batman mask chased a Black man with a pitchfork, shouted racial slurs and threatened to kill him, according to court documents.
Police arrested the suspect, identified as Matthew Alexander Rogers, and booked him on multiple counts, including malicious harassment, which is Washington’s hate-crime statute, as well as other offenses. He is being held on $40,000 bail. The man who was chased told officers he had simply said, “You know God loves you,” before the suspect allegedly turned on him.
Scene and arrest
According to KATU, American Medical Response crews radioed that they saw a white man in all-black clothing and a Batman mask chasing a Black man with what appeared to be a shovel near the 76 gas station at Southeast 112th Avenue and Mill Plain Boulevard. Court documents reviewed by the station say officers later found a pitchfork on the ground next to the suspect and that he repeatedly hurled a racial slur at the other man.
Vancouver police detained the suspect near the station and took him into custody. The man who was chased told officers he had walked past the suspect and said, “You know God loves you.” According to court records, the suspect allegedly replied, “Go home. The streets aren't safe,” then followed him while shouting threats to kill.
As officers moved in to arrest him, police say the suspect dropped an item and told them it was fentanyl. Rogers faces four charges, according to the records: malicious harassment involving race, harassment, assault and possession of a controlled substance. Court records cited by KATU also indicate he has a criminal history dating back to 1990.
What Washington's hate-crime law covers
Washington’s malicious harassment law, which is commonly described in public materials as the state’s hate-crime statute, makes it a class C felony to maliciously and intentionally commit certain acts such as causing physical injury or making threats that put someone in reasonable fear of harm when the conduct is motivated by the victim’s protected characteristic, including race.
The statute explains that words alone do not automatically qualify unless the surrounding conduct shows a threat, and prosecutors may look to context to infer bias. For the full legal language, see RCW 9A.36.080 and public guidance from the Seattle Police Department on how bias-motivated incidents are identified and investigated.
What's next
Rogers remains in custody while investigators and prosecutors review the case. Members of the public who want to track developments can check court dockets and filings for Clark County through the Clark County clerk's office or the statewide Odyssey Portal. Updates are expected as any new documents are filed or court dates are set.
