Man Beaten in Crown Heights (71st Precinct)

Residents’ Help Sought After Man Is Beaten in Crown Heights

By Al Baker and Ann Farmer
NY Times 4/19/08

As detectives in Brooklyn continued their investigation into the assault of a black man in Crown Heights by two white men, community leaders and others asked residents on Friday to step forward to help the police solve the case.

The victim, Andrew Charles, 20, the son of a New York City police officer, was walking with a black friend about 6:30 p.m. on Monday when they encountered two white men, and both sides exchanged stares or hard looks, the police said.

One of the white men, who was on a bicycle, pedaled toward Mr. Charles and, after a brief conversation, sprayed mace or pepper spray in his face, the police said. Mr. Charles ran, the police said, but when he got to the corner of Carroll Street and Albany Avenue, a black GMC Envoy pulled up and a passenger jumped out and hit Mr. Charles in the back and on the left forearm with a wooden baton or stick.

No racial epithets were exchanged and the assault was not being treated as a bias crime, the police said. Mr. James was treated at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center and released. His friend was not injured. His father, Moses Charles, an officer in the 70th Precinct, said on Friday that his son was “emotionally and physically hurt.”

Full story here.

The following ideo from News 12, posted courtesy of www.crownheights.info, includes comments from the victim about the beating. Be sure to click here and scroll down past video to read an interesting debate among Crown Heights residents about what might have happened in this incident.