Editor’s Note (April 2026):
This story has been updated to clarify that certain descriptions of the incident are based on statements from law enforcement and other sources at the time of publication. Language has been revised to ensure clear attribution and to better distinguish between allegations and verified information.
Additional context, including statements from Mr. Abdalla and details from video provided to MCM, has also been added. MCM remains committed to accuracy and fairness and will update this report if further verified information becomes available.
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A Germantown man was arrested following an altercation with two off-duty Montgomery County Police officers in the parking lot at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville. The officers were assigned there for school security, according to police.
At approximately 2:54 p.m. police said officers observed a vehicle circling the parking lot without a valid student pick-up pass and instructed the driver to leave.
The officers said they saw the same vehicle return and the driver, identified as Joseph Amr Khairy Abdalla, did not stop when directed by officers, according to police. In a news release, Montgomery County police said the driver drove through traffic cones in the pick-up lane and moved into lanes with oncoming vehicles.
The vehicle did stop, according to police, but Abdalla did not get out of the car when asked by police. Abdalla “resisted and became combative,” according to the news release.
A video of the incident that was sent to MCM by Abdalla 10 months after begins as the driver is being told to stop and get out of the car and does not include what happened before the officers asked him to get out of his car.
In the video, the officers can be seen pulling Abdalla out of the car and onto the ground. At one point during the struggle, an officer appears to place his hands around Abdalla’s upper body/neck area for several seconds. The video shows what appears to be a utility knife falling from Abdalla’s pocket during the struggle. The knife is not seen being used by either party in the video.
As the officers attempted to handcuff Abdalla, the driver asked what he had done and called the officers’ actions “ridiculous.”
He then can be heard in the video yelling, “You are beating on a f***ing Arab guy, you f***ing terrorist.”
Meanwhile, a woman’s voice can be heard in the video asking officers if she should call 911 or assist; the individual is not visible in the footage but appears to be recording the incident using a cell phone camera. The two officers declined her assistance.
Once he was subdued, Abdalla was taken to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. He was charged with multiple counts of assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Based on a police investigation there is no evidence at this time that Abdalla had intent to harm anyone associated with the school.
“The actions of these officers show our heightened efforts to protect our community and the courage of officers to take decisive action for the safety of all,” Chief Marc Yamada stated of the incident.
Following Abdalla’s bail hearing Friday afternoon, Abdalla was directed by the court to have an inpatient examination, according to court records.
According to a letter from the school administration posted on Facebook, Abdalla was employed at the Lower School as an after-school karate program instructor, where the incident took place.
In a Facebook message to MCM, Abdalla defended his position, noting that he did not need a pick-up pass to be in the parking lot as he was an employee. He disputed much of the police report, as well.
“I was never directed to leave. I never refused to stop, I was already stopped when officers approached me for no reason, as their body cam footage shows. I also did not run over any cones or do anything like that, which the officers failed to present any evidence for in court because it didn’t happen and the recordings from the school parking lot prove the police claims, and yours, false.”
As to having a knife, Abdalla wrote, “There’s nothing illegal or wrong or suspicious about someone carrying a pocketknife.”
County Executive Marc Elrich called the incident “deeply disturbing.” He commended the off-duty officers “who acted quickly to protect students, staff and families.”
He added, “While MCPD is not classifying this as a hate crime at this time, it does not diminish the community concern.”
Guila Franklin Siegel issued a statement on behalf of the Jewish Community Relations Council.
“We are deeply grateful to the on-site security officers and Montgomery County police officers who responded to the incident on Thursday afternoon at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (JDS). The swift actions of law enforcement personnel prevented potential violence and kept students, parents, and staff safe.”
Franklin Siegel pointed to video footage she viewed that she said showed the suspect making what she described as “anti-Jewish comments,” in addition to “other hateful language.”
Abdalla disputes the allegations made by police and maintains that he did not engage in the conduct described.
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