New York, USA - A drunk Hasidic man was charged with a hate crime Sunday for pouring beer on his Turkish neighbor in Brooklyn, calling her an “Arab terrorist” and attacking her husband, reported the Daily News.
“F---ing Arabs! F---ing terrorists!” yelled Simchon Shwartz, 46, as he grabbed his neighbor, Selda Turan, 27. He shoved the woman against the car and poured beer on her head, police sources said.
When Turan’s husband of 13 months, Mustafa Turan, rushed out of their house to protect his wife, Schwartz punched him in the face.
The young Turkish couple moved into the heavily Jewish neighborhood in Mill Basin, Brooklyn about a month ago. It is unclear if they are Muslim or not.
The allegedly unprovoked attack occurred at 7 p.m. Saturday night on their East 70th St. block.
After the fight, Schwartz scratched the Turans’ car with a key. He then fled from the scene, while the Turans called 911. Schwartz’s son then led the police to a nearby Chabad House on E. 69th St., where they found the suspect. Police smelled alcohol on his breath.
He even kicked out the window of the police cruiser, complaining that his handcuffs were too tight.
When Schwartz was arraigned Modnay night in Brooklyn Criminal Court, Schwartz’s attorney, Lance Lazzaro, claimed the police had arrested the wrong person.
Lazzaro said Mustafa Turan, 32, attacked his client, after Selda complained about Schwartz’s children being noisy. He said Mustafa Turan called Schwartz a “dirty Jew” and hit him.
But there is no evidence to support Schwartz’s claim. Mustafa Turan needed three stitches on his nose, and his wife was left with scratches and bruises.
Schwartz was charged with felony assault and felony criminal mischief, both as hate crimes. He was also charged with resisting arrest, obstructing the police, menacing and harassment. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Schwartz’ wife, Esther, made a veiled threat to the victims while her husband was being arrested.
“This is a majority Jewish neighborhood,” she said. “We’re going to get you back.”
She also began circulating a petition among her neighbors to have the Turans evicted from their home. She gathered about 20 signatures, but the Turans’ landlords, Rusden and Saadet Dolan, refused to sign it.
He was released without bail on Sunday and allowed to return to his home, which shares a common wall with the Turans’ townhouse. While the judge rejected the prosecution’s request to hold Schwartz on bail, he granted the Turans an order of protection, preventing him from contacting them.