NYC Cab Driver Shouts 'Allah' Before Viciously Assaulting Elderly Jewish Man
The Jewish victim of a brutal attack on a Brooklyn street claims that the man who attacked him yelled “Allah” as he pummeled him, according to a published report.
Lipa Schwartz, 62, who was on his way to his synagogue at the time of the incident, was shown on surveillance video being beaten by Farrukh Afzal, 37, the Daily News reported. The incident took place at the intersection of 13th Ave. and 46th St. in Borough Park.
State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who represents the district where the attack took place, said Schwartz told him that Afal yelled “Allah” and “Israel” during the attack, WNBC reported.
Hikind called the attack “an absolute horror.”
“You watch that video, there are no words to describe what you see in that video,” he said. “The scene itself reminded me of those worst moments in Nazi Germany.”
The Daily News quoted a witness to the beating, who did not give his name, as saying the attacker “was screaming at him that he hates the Jews and he would like to kill all the Jews.”
Schwartz spoke to the website Boro Park 24 about the attack.
“I feared for my life. I knew it’s either I fight myself out of this, or I might be dead,” he said.
Schwartz said that the attack will change his life.
“I’m out of the hospital with some minor bruises, but the trauma of being attacked by someone who seemed to want revenge will stay with me forever,” he said.
“In that instant I saw death for my eyes, I saw two choices, either I fight back and wrestle myself out of this attack,” he said.
WABC reported that the incident was a case of road rage.
Azfal was angry that Schwartz was moving too slowly to cross an intersection, the New York Post reported. This led to the two men yelling at each other before Schwartz struck the car, it reported. At that point, Azfal exited the vehicle.
“He came out from the car. I couldn’t explain to you how angry he was. He was screaming the whole time,” Schwartz said, according to WLNY.
“I fell down on the street. All of a sudden he’s on my head again, start to punch me. I screamed, ‘What you want from me?!? Help me please,’” Schwartz said.
A passerby tried to intervene but was chased off by Azfal.
“I’m telling you if he had a knife he would stab me right on the place. No doubt,” Schwartz said.
Afzal was arrested and charged with assault, criminal mischief and harassment. Although some initial reports discussed a possible hate crime filing, no hate crime charges were filed.
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