Police investigate alleged hate incident at Dupont Circle Shake Shack

WASHINGTON (7News) — Washington, DC police are investigating a possible hate crime that occurred at a Shake Shack restaurant in Dupont Circle over the weekend.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, officers were stopped outside the burger shop in the 1800 block of Jefferson Place NW on Saturday night for a reported assault.

One victim told officers that he was attacked by several people outside the restaurant after an altercation inside the restaurant. According to the police report, he claimed the attack was “homophobic.”

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Shake Shack confirmed that an incident occurred between employees and a guest and that they are “taking it very seriously.”

In a statement, they said they had a “zero tolerance policy towards any form of violence” and were cooperating with the authorities.

A spokesman also said the team members involved had been suspended pending further investigation.

Read Shake Shack's full statement: “We are aware of and are taking very seriously the incident that occurred on Saturday, August 17, involving Team Members and a guest at our Dupont Circle location. At Shake Shack, the safety and well-being of our guests and Team Members is our top priority and we have a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of violence. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation and have suspended the Team Members involved pending further investigation. We are committed to taking appropriate action based on the findings.”