A young man of Indo-Caribbean origin was attacked by several youth in Astoria, Queens, N.Y., last week, shouting “ISIS, ISIS” and punching and beating him. Police are describing it as a bias crime, according to news reports.
Though the 19-year old victim’s name was not revealed by police, Gothamist newspaper reported his father’s name as Ray Bisram, who told media his son was “traumatized” by the attack. The youth who attacked him were carrying a metal pipe which they threatened to use on him, and a baseball bat.
Bisram told Univision TV, “Right now, he’s kind of traumatized, because, you know, a guy punching him and another guy running with a bat and a iron pipe scream out, you know, racist words and stuff toward him, he’s pretty traumatized because he’s thinking what if they would have hit me with that pipe.”
A little after 1 pm, in broad daylight on April 27, the victim was walking on 10th Street in Astoria, when he noticed three tens aged 17-19, following him. One of them shouted to him calling him an “Arab” and punched him in the fact twice when he turned around. They brandished the metal pipe and baseball bat at him. Luckily, the victim was able to sidestep the metal pipe swung at him.
A neighbor, Ron Garcia was on the street when he saw the attack taking place. “They pushed him up there and that’s when they went to take the swing on the pipe with him,” Garcia is quoted saying in the report “He averted it, like he moved out away and midway to me, and when he made his way to me, that’s when they ran up the block.”
The NYPD has put out a description of the attackers — one male, aged 17-19 years-old, short black close cut hair, approximately 5’6″ tall, 160 lbs, last seen wearing a dark colored two tone sweater with vertical lines, black pants and black sneakers. Another male, 17-19 years-old, approximately 5’9″ tall, 180 lbs., chin strap beard and short black hair, last seen wearing a black jacket, black t-shirt, dark colored blue jeans and black sneakers. The third suspect is around 18-years-old, approximately 5’9″ tall, black hair and a beard, last seen wearing a black hooded sweat jacket with white horizontal stripes, black jeans, grey t-shirt and grey sneakers.
Police want anyone with information to call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also go to the Crime Stoppers website or text their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All calls are confidential.
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