A burglar is caught in the middle of burglarizing a residential home of a well-known area muslim imam (priest). as the burglar runs from the scene of the crime he yells a racial slur at the home owner. the offender's identity is unknown. is this a hate crime?

A hate crime is a criminal act which is motivated by bias against social groups. It involves physical assault or damage to property. The above incident is a hate crime because the burglar yells a racial slur at the home owner. As it involves racialism it is an instance of hate crime.