A man has been charged with two counts of hate crime in connection with incidents involving a QFC employee in Ballard last December.
King County Superior Court documents state that the charges stem from incidents on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12, 2025, at the QFC located at 5700 24th Ave NW. Prosecutors allege the suspect, identified as Jack Vafi, used racial slurs toward an employee before attempting to strike him with a vehicle in the store’s parking garage, then returned the following day and allegedly threatened to shoot him.
According to a Seattle Police probable cause certification included in the court filing, the QFC employee told officers he was working self-checkout on Dec. 11 when the suspect allegedly directed racial slurs toward him during an interaction at a kiosk. After telling the man he was no longer allowed in the store, the employee followed him to the parking garage to take a photo of his vehicle, according to the report.
Police documents state the suspect then entered a gray Subaru and allegedly drove toward the employee, who told investigators he had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. Officers wrote that the vehicle came within “a couple of inches” of him before leaving the garage.
The following morning, officers were again dispatched to the QFC after the victim reported the same man had returned to the store. According to the police narrative, the suspect allegedly told him he disliked him because he was Black and threatened to return with a gun and shoot him.
The probable cause certification states the employee told officers he was “100% scared for my life” following the alleged threat.
Police said they later identified the suspect through surveillance footage, a California license plate connected to the vehicle, and a Department of Licensing photograph.
An arrest report included in the case documents states the suspect was taken into custody on April 28, 2026, in connection with a hate crime warrant.
Prosecutors requested that the court order the defendant to have no contact with the employee or the Ballard QFC location while the case proceeds.
Photo: Ballard QFC / Google Image Capture Sept. 2025