Thursday, September 15, 2022
Suspect arrested in hate crime assault against Jewish man in Queens
A 34-year-old man faces hate crime assault charges for attacking a Jewish man while spewing hate speech in Queens on Tuesday, according to the Queens District Attorney's Office.
James Purcell started yelling anti-Semitic remarks at a 58-year-old Jewish man around 11:40 a.m. near the intersection of Beach 25th Street and Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway, prosecutors alleged.
He then started punching the victim in the face while continuing to berate him for his religion, officials said.
Police accused Purcell of fleeing when they tried to detain him and flailing his arms and body in an attempt to resist arrest.
"This defendant is accused of assaulting an individual of the Jewish faith while making anti-Semitic statements," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. "We will not tolerate assault motivated by hate in the most diverse county in the world. These acts are offenses against our shared values and our shared right to safety and peace in our neighborhoods."
Purcell was arraigned by a Queens Criminal Court Thursday on a six-count criminal complaint for hate crime assault, resisting arrest and related crimes.
If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison.
Comments:
Post a Comment
