A man has been accused of harassing two Muslim girls and then threatening their father with a knife.
According to an affidavit from Metro Nashville Police, the incident happened after the two sisters, both McGavock High School students, got off the bus on Lebanon Pike.
"He said f***ing Muslims, go back to your country, we don't want you here," said 14-year-old Fardowsa Hayer, one of the sisters the man verbally attacked. "I was actually really scared, I don’t know where this came from. I don’t even know the guy."
Luckily, the girls' father was driving home at the time and saw the man following his daughters.
"When I came and asked him what is going on, the guy tried to fight back with me," said Abdull Ali. "He pulled a knife, and tried to hit me many times."
The suspect – identified as 32-year-old Christopher Beckham – allegedly repeatedly told the family they were “not welcome in America” while swinging a pocketknife and his fists at Ali repeatedly.
Police said an altercation ensued and both he and Beckman fell to the ground.
The father and daughters got into their car, where they called 911 and followed the suspect until police arrived.
"If I was not there, the children would be hurt," Ali said. "He would have stabbed the children. I was the one who saved the kids."
Officers arrested Beckham and found the bloody knife. While in the squad car police said Beckham vowed to go back and kill the family when he gets out of jail.
He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of misdemeanor assault. Beckham was booked on a $20,000 bond.
Metro Police are investigating this as a hate crime.
