Suspects: NYPD
Aug. 15, 2019 By Shane O’Brien
Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a spate of attempted robberies and potential hate crimes that occurred in Williamsburg on Monday.
Deandre Diagle, 19, from East New York and Michael Bellevue, 20, from Flatbush were both arrested shortly before midnight on Wednesday, Aug. 14 in connection to the crimes.
Both were charged with four counts of robbery in the second degree. Diagle was also charged with four counts of assault in the second degree while Bellevue was hit with three counts.
The arrests are related to a series of attacks that occurred over a 40-minute spell between 5 a.m. and 5:40 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 12 in Williamsburg.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Unit announced on Monday that it was treating the crimes as potential hate crimes since all three victims were Jewish. However, no hate crime charges have been filed at this time.
A group of at least four teens attacked three Jewish men on Ross Street, Clymer Street and Whyte Place, with two of the men requiring medical attention at Bellevue Hospital.
The first attack occurred at 80 Ross St. at 5 a.m. when a 71-year-old man was punched in the face and had his pockets searched by a group of three teens.
The following attack took place half an hour later at 91 Clymer St. when a 67-year-old man was also punched in the face by a group of teens. Like the first attack, the man had his pockets searched but nothing was taken.
The final attack of the morning took place ten minutes later at 626 Whyte Pl., roughly 100 yards from the scene of the second attack. This time, a 56-year-old man was punched in the face. Again, his pockets were searched but nothing was taken.
Police announced Thursday that the investigation remains ongoing.
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