New York Police were investigating an assault on a Chasidic teenager in Crown Heights as a possible hate crime.
The police on Saturday still had not determined whether the attack on Alon Sherman, 16, would be classified as a hate crime. His assault led to demonstrations by the area’s large Chasidic community demanding the case be so classified.
Sherman reportedly was beaten after midnight Thursday as he rode his bicycle to the store in the Brooklyn neighborhood to buy formula for his brother. His bike, cell phone and watch were stolen.
Sherman, whose jaw was fractured and is now wired shut, does not remember the attack but witnesses said the assailants were two black teens, according to the New York Daily News.
At least 200 Chasidim blocked traffic as they marched through Crown Heights Friday afternoon.
In April, a black college student was attacked in Crown Heights by two Jewish men. The area is known for a 1991 race riot.
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