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Charges Dropped Against Man Accused of Beating Fireman
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 25, 2009
Modified Sep 25, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 25, 2009
Modified Sep 25, 2009
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A grand jury has decided not to move forward with assault charges against a man arrested in connection with a September 7th fight at the Staten Island ferry terminal in Manhattan that left firefighter Matthew Dugan, 34, in critical condition. Doctors had to put Dugan, who is still hospitalized but in stable condition, into a medically induced coma after two operations to reduce the pressure on his brain. Police say the fight started after Dugan entered the terminal with his girlfriend, Sandy Wong, around 1:30 a.m. after a night of drinking. When Wong slipped on some stairs, Rasheeim Turner and two pals started laughing; Dugan told them to shut up, and was attacked.
Surveillance video led police to Turner, 20, after they identified him in a second video made by the Staten Island motorcycle club, "N2 Deep." But an anonymous source tells the Daily News that jurors may have considered the altercation a "one-on-one fight." The source says, "[The grand jurors] believed the defendant's actions were justified. The judge dismissed the case and sealed it." A relative of Turner's told reporters outside his Staten Island that the grand jury's decision "speaks for itself."
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firefighter
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Matthew Dugan
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staten island
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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