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The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating an assault and robbery early Saturday morning in which the three suspects allegedly shouted “This is for Trayvon Martin” as they accosted a Bethesda man.

The incident happened about 1:20 a.m. Saturday on the 1700 block of Euclid Street NW in Adams Morgan. The victim, who is white, told police he was attacked from behind by three black men, authorities said. Police say the victim was shoved and kicked to the ground while and that the suspects made off with his wallet and iPhone.

The victims were described as wearing black T-shirts and black jeans, a police spokeswoman says.

MPD is investigating the incident as a hate crime. The attack came roughly two weeks after a jury acquitted Sanford, Fla. neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman of second-degree murder in the February 2012 death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, shot and killed the unarmed Martin, who was black, in an encounter that Zimmerman justified under a Florida self-defense law.

Zimmerman’s acquittal set off a string of protests around the United States, including several marches through D.C.