Michigan Police: Drunk Customer Attacks Muslim Store Workers

TROY (AP) - Police in suburban Detroit say a drunken customer punched a convenience store manager and threatened to kill a kill a clerk because they're Muslims.

Troy police tell WDIV-TV it happened Friday at a 7-Eleven store.

Police say 53-year-old James D. Tree approached the counter to buy beer. They say Tree made ethnic slurs against the clerk and threatened to kill him.

Police say that the manager told Tree to leave, but Tree instead went around the counter and started punching him.

Police say the two store employees ejected Tree and called police, who arrested him nearby.

The Farmington Hills man is charged with ethnic intimidation and assault and battery. He's jailed with a $25,000 bond and has a May 13 court date.

It's unknown if Tree has a lawyer.