Potential hate crime in Downtown Billings is being investigated by the FBI

Billings, Montana – On Monday, the FBI was brought into the case concerning a lady who over the weekend purposefully drove through a crowd of people in downtown Billings.

At the junction of 6th Avenue North and North 27th Street, the suspect drove past a gathering of people gathered on the sidewalk, according to the Billings Police, just after 12:30 on Sunday afternoon.

A 45-year-old man was struck by a car close to the Yellowstone Art Museum, and according to Billings police, he only had minor wounds. The defendant was apprehended by officers on accusations of assault, criminal mischief, and drunk driving.

Geneviene Rancuret, 55, has been identified as the suspect; she is presently being held at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility.

Because of the gravity of the incident, both the FBI and the Yellowstone County District Attorney are evaluating the case, according to Lt. Matthew Lennick of the Billings Police Department.

“you have this component of the hate crime part and people are concerned of why it’s here in their city, so we understand that concern and we taking this seriously we’re confirmed with all of our partners to make sure that we are moving in the right direction and carefully chose out plan and i think in this instance it was a little bit relieving for the public to know that we apprehended the suspect right away within a couple of hours and there was no more threat we resolved that part of it and that gives us time to make sure that we are processing all the information coming in correctly so that when the case does f\go over there is very little that needs to take place form us anymore because they have the information and they can make the right decision on how to move forward.”

Sandra Barker, Public Affairs Officer for the FBI said, “We are aware of the incident in Billings, Montana, and are in regular contact with local authorities. if, in the course of the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate.”

The faith community-Based in Yonkers, New York, the group goes by the name Israel United in Christ and is led by Lt. Lennick. On their website, they state that they consider Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics to be the legitimate heirs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Additionally, they think that they are the true Jews of the Israelite countries.

As of right now, the group has not commented on the incident that happened on Sunday.