A Jewish man was slashed by a suspect screaming 'Free Palestine' steps away from a local synagogue, cops said.
The suspect, 22-year-old Vincent Sumpter,was charged with assault as a hate crime as a result, after leaving 33-year-old Yechiel Dabrowskin hospitalized following the heated altercation on the streets of Brooklyn.
It happened early Saturday morning,as the Israeli, who had come to the US to study religion, walked home from a Shabbos meal near the Chabad Headquarters in Crown Heights.
It was around 2 am when the suspect was filmed approaching the victim on Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue, reportedly screaming 'Do you want to die?' along with the aforementioned rallying cry.
The footage, taken from nearby surveillance cameras, shows the suspect lunge at a group of men with Dabrowskin, before slashing him with a knife. Witnesses were able to then chase him down, cops said - detaining him until they arrived.
The suspect, 22-year-old Vincent Sumpter, was charged with assault as a hate crime after the altercation Saturday morning. The victim, 33-year-old Yechiel Dabrowskin, is seen shielding his friends from the attacker
The encounter left the 33-year-old Israeli who came to the US to study in the hospital, after he fought back. He told outlets that he suffered from internal bleeding, but is set to survive
'It's very, very painful,' Dabrowskin told Kan 11 News from his hospital bed Sunday as he recovers. 'I had internal bleeding but thank God I had a miracle.'
He went on to recall how he had been part of a procession that sat down for a peaceful dinner near the synagogue where he currently studies just hours before.
That's when the trouble started, he said - asSumpter, who is from the not-so-nearby neighborhood of Brownsville, is now set to be arraigned, cops said.
'At 2 a.m. they were saying that there was a person outside who was threatening children and teenagers,' Dabrowskin told the Israeli news station.
'I heard him say, 'Free Palestine,' 'You want to die?'' he recalled.
'I asked him to leave.'
The footage shows the rest, with the attacker seen stabbing Yechiel before fleeing the scene.
First, though, the Jewish man can be seen shielding his acquaintances from the attacker, as chaos quickly ensues.
He went on to recall how he had been part of a procession that sat down for a peaceful dinner near the synagogue where he currently studies just hours before. The victim is seen standing his ground against the attacker as his friends look on
That's when the trouble started, he said - as the attacker suddenly approached screaming
'I heard him say, 'Free Palestine,' 'You want to die?'' he recalled Sunday, still on the mend. 'I asked him to leave.' Surveillance footage shows the segment of the encounter as it began to escalate
Another angle shows the man seemingly draw his weapon, before slashingDabrowskin and running away. Witnesses were able to detain him until cops arrived
Another angle of the encounter seemingly secured by a bystander shows the suspect seemingly drawing his weapon, before slashing Dabrowskin and running off.
He did not make it far, however, as onlookers in the heavily Jewish neighborhood honed in on his location and held him down until officers arrived to make an arrest.
Dabrowskin, meanwhile, was taken to Maimonides Medical Center where is expected to recover from his wounds - as his attacker remains in custody.
'When you look at the footage you can see that me and a friend of mine were trying to distance him from us,' Dabrowskintold Kan 11of the clip now being used to potentially convict the alleged anti-Semite in his hate crime case.'All of a sudden he pulled out a knife,' he recalled, not mentioning his own heroics.
'The knife went very close to my heart. We all tackled him and we all called the police.'
He was brought to the hospital in stable condition, police later said - as local officials prepare to arraign the suspect in criminal court at some point Monday.
There, he will hear his charges of hate crime assault and criminal possession of a weapon, after which he will enter a plea.
Officials are now set to arraign the suspect in criminal court Monday, where he will hear his charges of hate crime assault and criminal possession of a weapon
He is said to have slashed Dabrowskin in the stomach during the scuffle, which saw both men exchange words.
'This is obviously a very serious incident, and there has been a lot of antisemitic rhetoric,' local Rabbi Behrman told the New York Times of the attack, which is still being investigated.
'I’m concerned that unless this rhetoric stops, it’s going to become more common, sadly.'
As of writing,Sumpter has yet to appear in court. It remains unclear whether he has retained a lawyer.
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
