Imam-Bashing Duo Say Fight Was Over a Bump, Not Bigotry

Melendez in court yesterday (AP)

The story of the imam attacked on the A train earlier this week has gotten a new twist: one of the men accused of administering the beating, Eddie Crespo, is an MTA B&T officer.

The scuffle allegedly occurred after Albert Melendez, the brother of Crespo's fiance, announced to Rod Peterson, an imam from Queens, that he didn't "like Muslims." He is then said to have assaulted him on the train before the duo chased him onto the Canal Street platform. Once there Crespo is said to have held Peterson down while Melendez hit him. At some point the imam's kufi was thrown into the tracks. The slurs used, along with the kufi on the tracks, led the pair to be charged with robbery and assault as hate crimes.

Lawyers for both men claimed this was all a misunderstanding and that the clash occured after a bump on the subway. "This was certainly not a racially motivated attack. Judge, these are trumped-up charges," Melendez's lawyer, Angel Soto, said at his client's arraignment. Meanwhile Crespo's lawyer, Arnold Keith, says that Crespo actions are being misunderstood: he tried to break up the fight, never saw the kufi and stuck around to help the imam.

Both men are currently being held on bail and Crespo has been suspended without pay. Also? Getting bumped into on the subway is still no excuse to give a guy a black eye.

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By Garth Johnston in News on December 10, 2010 2:33 PM

Comments [rss]

schmeep

NEVER NOT.

madzack

ALWAYS

ProcedureTurn

It seems like the criminal or suspect is ALWAYS black or hispanic. It makes others want to avoid them and stereotype these races. Sad that they do this to their image. Almost all violent crimes seem to be perpetrated by them.

shocktheday

Street criminals usually hurt one person at a time. Whites in corporate America have knowingly killed millions of people. (ie Philip Morris)

JPeditor

Oh shut up already. Arabs (and other Africans) sold blacks as slaves. Arabs have slaughtered 200,000 Blacks in Darfur.

Ariann Adams

Dr. Akurang-Parry, Ending the Slavery Blame. I think you should read that book. It might end your obscure view of the Africans sold other Africans excuse. Since I know how You people love using that to sound high and mighty.

robingee

Are you a Racist Bot?

ProcedureTurn

Get off my jammy. I speak truth.

langleycollyer

Who caused more suffering: the Latino suspect above or the white Bernard Madoff?

ProcedureTurn

Money can be replaced. Lives not so much. Im talking about violent crimes being committed. Then again, I dont think these minorities could pull off too much white collar crime. That may be the reason they resort to street crime and violence. Exhibiting violence is a physiologically primitive instinct.

Ariann Adams

LOL. WOW it's like I am hearing someone that was born in the 1920's. I am sorry. Lol hahahahaha thanks. I almost spit up my coffee at your hilarious comments. You have to be a troll if you actually believe the crap you are thinking. Or you were born in the backwoods tryin' to make it in the big city. So that you can make ma and pa proud. Thanks though you made my day through your idiocy.