New York City police are investigating a possible hate crime after two men were brutally attacked with a glass bottle and a screwdriver while being called homophobic slurs at a Brooklyn bodega early Saturday morning.
The two male victims, ages 36 and 28, were trying to buy food at a store at 1559 Broadway in Bushwick, Brooklyn at 2.10am, according to the NYPD.
They were approached by two unknown men who engaged them in a verbal dispute and made 'anti-gay statements,' according to police.
Sources told the New York Daily News that one called one of the victims a 'f*****.'
They attacked the victims with a glass bottle and a screwdriver before stealing an iPhone and cash and running away on foot.
It is the latest incident in a wave of hate crime in New York City this year.
There have been 364 recorded hate crimes in the Big Apple in the year to August 29, according to NYPD statistics.
That is a shocking 97.8 per cent increase on the 184 recorded in the same period last year.
The suspects above allegedly attacked two men with a screwdriver and a glass bottle, hurled a homophobic slur at one of them, and stole cash and an iPhone before fleeing the scene
The incident happened Saturday at 2.10am at the above bodega in Bushwick, Brooklyn
The 36-year-old victim suffered a puncture wound to his chin and a cut on his lips. His 28-year-old friend was cut on his right hand and shoulder.
They were both transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
The incident is being investigated by the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force.
Police released an image of the perpetrators and asked for help identifying them Sunday morning.
The first is described as a man with a dark complexion, medium build and a beard. He was last seen wearing a red baseball hat, a red T-shirt, red and white pants and red sneakers.
The second is described as a man with a dark complexion, heavy build and black dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts and black and white sandals.
Police are asking for help identifying the two suspects, who were caught on video
New York has been plagued by a spike in violent crime in the last year.
Felony assaults are up five percent year-on-year, with 14,358 recorded crimes in the year to date, up from 13,672 in the same period in 2020.
Gun crime is also up by 5.3 percent, with 1,041 reported shootings so far this year compared to 989 last year.
The number of shooting victims is up 2.4 percent from 1,217 to 1,246.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has lashed out at the state's criminal justice system, blaming soaring crime rates in the Big Apple on a dramatically reduced number of trial verdicts, which he slammed as 'unacceptable.'
Latest numbers from the NYPD show that shootings, rapes and assaults are all up
A spokesperson for the court system responded by accusing the mayor of 'gaslighting' the public in an attempt to shift the blame for the crime epidemic.
Speaking during a remote press conference last Monday, de Blasio revealed that in the first half of 2021, there were only 18 trial verdicts across the five boroughs, compared to 405 during the same time in 2019.
'That isn't good enough,' the mayor said, after heaping praise on the New York City Police Department for making a record number of gun-related arrests, and highlighting the work of community activists.
Lucian Chaifen, Director of Communications with the Office of Court Administration, responded to de Blasio's harsh criticism by accusing the mayor of engaging in finger-pointing.
'Yet again, the mayor demonstrates his glaring lack of understanding of the criminal justice process in this state,' Chaifen said in a statement. 'His gaslighting rhetoric regarding court operations is an attempt to shift the public safety discussion continues.'
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday revealed that there were only 18 trial verdicts during the first half of 20201, compared to 405 in 2019
De Blasio blamed the city's elevated crime rates on the criminal justice system
The mayor said courts have been lagging behind other institutions in reopening at full capacity, despite offers of help from the administration
The spokesperson argued that the court system has been back at full strength since May, and rebuked prosecutors and defense attorneys for not being prepared to try their cases.
Chaifen, nevertheless, acknowledged that because of social distancing requirements, only three trials can now be held simultaneously in each county, compared to up to a dozen before the pandemic, as New York Post reported.
State courts outside New York City have produced 118 trial verdicts during the first eight months of the year.
A spokesperson for the court system hit out at de Blasio, accusing him of using 'gaslighting' rhetoric' to shift blame
'Whether it’s something as horrible as a murder or gun violence, you need a culture of consequences,' de Blasio said. 'The court system not functioning is having a bigger impact than almost any other factor right now.
'The absence of those consequences for a whole variety of crimes is undermining public safety.'
He added: 'If someone has committed a crime against a fellow New Yorker and they never see a consequence, or they think it's so far away that it will have no impact on their life, it gives them license.'
De Blasio went on to accuse city courts of lagging behind other institutions in reopening at full capacity.
'We have a lot of businesses back at full strength. In the areas that we have our new mandates for - indoor dining, entertainment - they’re back full strength. Why is the court system the outlier?' de Blasio demanded. 'We need our criminal justice system fully operational to protect New Yorkers. Period. Anything less than that is unacceptable.'
De Blasio argued that because of the courts, violent crimes go unpunished, which he slammed as being 'unacceptable'
The mayor also contended that his administration has continuously offered to help the courts to ramp up their operations by providing additional space and aid with vaccination, 'and we're still not getting a satisfactory outcome,' he said.
Lisa Ohta, president of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, told NY1 that although the pandemic has delayed some trials, there is little evidence to suggest that it has resulted in elevated crime rates.
'It is the low-level offenses, the violations, the non-violent misdemeanors that have been delayed more than other things, as they should be, because these are not issues that are putting people at serious risk,' Ohta said.
The number of hate crimes in the United States rose last year to the highest level in more than a decade, driven by a surge in assaults targeting Asian and black victims, the FBI reported last week.
The FBI identified 7,759 hate-crimes in 2020, a six percent increase over 2019 and the highest level since 2008.
The 2020 data includes reports from more than 15,000 law enforcement agencies across the country
A hate crime is defined by the FBI as crimes where the perpetrator acts because of biases against the victim's race, color, religion, national origin, actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or gender.
In 2020, 2,755 incidents against black or African-American people were reported in the US - a nearly 40 percent increase compared to 2019 - making them the most targeted racial group in the country, according to the FBI report.
The number of offenses targeting Asians jumped to 274, a whopping 70 percent increase compared with the 158 incidents in 2019
The report, released on Monday, found 7,759 criminal hate crime incidents were reported to the FBI in 2020, an increase of about 450 incidents over 2019. The spike comes as fewer local law enforcement agencies report crime incidents in their jurisdictions to the FBI compared to previous years
Reports of hate-inspired attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been on the rise, spurred by what many say were then-President Donald Trump's inflammatory remarks blaming the COVID-19 pandemic on China.
Hate attacks targeting white people rose to 773, an increase of about 16 percent on 2019.
There were 676 recorded hate incidents against Jewish people, and 649 recorded incidents against gay men.
Of the 7,426 hate crime offenses classified as crimes against people, as opposed to crimes against property, 53.4 percent were for intimidation, 27.6 percent were for simple assault and 18.1 percent were for aggravated assault.
Twenty-two murders and 19 rapes were reported as hate crimes.
In all recorded hate incidents, 55 percent were perpetrated by white offenders - or 3,663 cases.
The Justice Department has warned that white supremacist groups represent a rising security threat after the deadly January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Black people were recorded as the perpetrator in 1,309 cases, or 20 percent.
In 1,080 cases the race of the offender was unknown.
'Preventing and responding to hate crimes and hate incidents is one of the Justice Department's highest priorities,' U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
'The FBI Hate Crime Statistics for 2020 demonstrates the urgent need for a comprehensive response.'
He added that the data does 'not account for the many hate crimes that go unreported.'
'These hate crimes and other bias-related incidents instill fear across entire communities and undermine the principles upon which our democracy stands.'
'All people in this country should be able to live without fear of being attacked or harassed because of where they are from, what they look like, whom they love or how they worship,' Garland concluded.
In May, Attorney General Merrick Garland had already outlined new steps to help state and local police track and investigate hate crimes, which historically have been under-reported to the FBI, and called for the department to expedite the review of possible crimes.
A hate crimes bill proposed by President Biden to combat violence against Asian Americans passed the U.S. Senate in April with overwhelming bipartisan support.
The measure designated a Justice Department employee to expedite a review of hate crimes reported to police during the COVID-19 pandemic.