Police Say Anti-Muslim Hate Crime Included Use of Teeth
In another apparent anti-Muslim hate crime, a man just arrested in Minneapolis is not only accused of attacking his victim with a knife, but also biting him.
Kelvin Warren Porter, 47, of Bloomington, Minnesota is charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon after the attack late last week in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
The incident occurred late Thursday evening when the suspect confronted a man identified in court documents only as “M.S.Y.”
Police, initially using a remote security camera, “observed the defendant take an aggressive posture towards the victim, before making slashing type motions in his direction,” a criminal complaint says.
The victim walked to a nearby café before returning to the sidewalk where he again was attacked by the knife-wielding assailant, the complaints says.
As the victim raised his fists across his chest, the attacker attempted to stab him multiple times in the neck and shoulder, the complaint says.
“The defendant was observed biting the victim on the face,” the complaint says.
At that point, a passerby attempted to intervene, throwing a garbage bin at the attacker, allowing the bloodied victim to flee as police arrived.
While being taken to jail, the suspect told arresting officers, “I tried to stab the Somalian in the neck” and “I hate Muslims,” the complaint says.
Later, in jail, the suspect “physically demonstrated and yelled that he tried to kill a Muslim by stabbing him in the neck,” it adds.
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a statement Tuesday saying state and federal hate crime charges should be filed in the case.
“The suspect’s own statements, as related to police, would indicate an apparent bias motive that should result in additional charges or enhanced sentencing if he is found guilty,” said Jaylani Hussein, the chapter’s executive director, the Pioneer Press reported.
In response, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines allow for an increased criminal sentence where the crime is motivated by bias or hate.
“The time for seeking an enhanced sentence is later in the criminal proceedings and we will raise the motion at the appropriate time,” Freeman said in a statement released by his office.
