Aug 17, 2009 6:56 pm US/Eastern
Police Investigate Possible Bias Attack On L.I.
PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (CBS) ―
Suffolk County police continued their investigation Monday into a weekend attack on a Latino man not only as an assault, but also as a hate crime.
The victim claimed he was beaten amid racial slurs. The incident happened late Saturday night in the parking lot of a bar on Division street.
The Hispanic man told police he was walking along the sidewalk when three white men in a parking lot called him over and attacked him.
The unidentified victim told police he was struck in the face, knocked to the ground, and robbed amid racial epithets.
"They came out of the bar. They had their own anger and issues they're dealing with in terms of the Latino population. They sucked this guy in and they assaulted him," said Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri.
Last November an Ecuadorean immigrant, Marcello Lucero, was stabbed to death in Patchogue by a group of teens.
"It's the scar we carry. We carry the scar of Marcello Lucero," said Pontieri.
Rev. Dwight Lee Wolter of the Congregational Church of Patchogue added: "We've been through it before here, and it's possible we'll be through it again."
However, the pastor said he's seen a change for the better since last year's tragedy. "A quick and swift response, almost a hyper vigilance on the part of authorities," Wolter said.
Just last Wednesday, Patchogue held a workshop on diversity, "The Invisible Side of Racism." It was attended by some 200 people.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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