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Interracial Couple Allegedly Attacked, Threatened With Lynching In Brooklyn
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jul 12, 2017
Modified Jul 12, 2017
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By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jul 12, 2017
Modified Jul 12, 2017
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An interracial couple was allegedly attacked outside Coney Island Hospital this past weekend by two racist assailants who threatened to lynch the woman's black boyfriend before repeatedly punching him in the face.
According to court papers, Bernard Szurant, 25, and Rudolph Evmenenko, 27, approached the couple at the corner of East 17th Street and Avenue R last Saturday, and immediately began threatening them.
"This is our neighborhood you f-cking n-gger! Get out of here!" one of the man allegedly told the male victim, John, who is Trinidadian. "Go back to your neighborhood, we're going to lynch you, you f-cking charcoal burner," said the other, according to police.
Moments later, the complaint says, the men attempted to jump John, punching him in the head while shouting racial epithets and threatening to "crack him open."
"They were basically torturing (John)," Anna, 38, told the Daily News on Tuesday. "They couldn't hit him because he's tall and they were smaller. They literally attached to his body and wouldn't let go. Like leeches."
"I was trying to sort of be a barrier between her and them," John, who used to be a professional boxer, told the News. "I was more concerned about her because she just threw herself right in the middle of it."
According to the complaint, one of the men knocked Anna's phone out of her hands just as she was calling 911. John suffered bruising and swelling around his face, and a contusion on his arm.
Police arrived on the scene about ten minutes into the incident, at which point one of the attackers allegedly began threatening the black officer. The two men were eventually charged with assault, menacing, criminal mischief and harassment.
"I feel like I'm back 50 years ago or something," Anna said. "Being attacked for (our races)—it's the first time. I've never felt any hate from people that live here."
Back in March, the NYPD revealed that hate crimes across the city had increased by 106 percent compared to the same time last year. Less than a quarter of those cases resulted in arrests.
Tagged
coney island
hate crime
interracial couple
racist
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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