1259-21-Gang-Assault-HCTF-5-20-21
New York, NY (77WABC)-The NYPD has made another arrest in connection with a gang assault against a 29-year-old Jewish man, during a protest last Thursday in Times Square. The man was taking part in a Pro-Israel demonstration, as Pro-Palestinian supporters demonstrated on the opposite side of the street during heightened tensions in Gaza between Isreal and Hamas.
25-year-old Faisel Elezzi of 285 Simonson Avenue on Staten Island is charged with the following:
- Assault as a Hate Crime
- Menacing as a Hate Crime
- Aggravated Harassment as a Hate Crime
The man attacked was taken to NYC Health and Hospitals/Bellevue in stable condition, after five males knocked him to the ground and assaulted him while making anti-Semitic statements. The individuals punched, kicked, pepper-sprayed, and hit the victim with crutches during the assault.
According to the Manhattan DA’s office, on Saturday Waseem Awadeh was arraigned in criminal court on charges related to the attack assault in the second degree as a hate crime and attempted gang assault in the first degree and released.
Police are still investigating in an effort to apprehend additional suspects in the attack. Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.
The attack came on the same day Isreal and Hamas-backed pro-Palestinian supporters announced a cease-fire ending 11-days of deadly and destructive fighting.
