A 33-year-old man was arrested for allegedly beating a Nostrand Avenue restaurant employee in a race-fueled tirade on June 3.
The suspect was inside Tea for Two Lite, a kosher restaurant between E. 31st Street and Marine Parkway at 7 pm, when the worker asked him to pay his bill.
That was all it took for the customer to launch into a racist tirade, cops said.
“You are not on my level you ni—-, I am not paying you,” the suspect barked, according to court records.
The man then grabbed a PVC pipe and beat the victim with it — striking him several times on his arms and back — before hurling a brick at the waiter’s legs.
Cops took the suspect into custody shortly after the attack, charging him with the hate crime assault. The victim suffered minor injuries.
The victim was unavailable for comment when we called Tea for Two Lite on Tuesday night, but another employee said the altercation was more of an argument than a race-fueled attack.
“I was here when the cops came, and they said it was about race, but I heard different,” said Daniel Cohen, a host at Tea for Two Lite. “It wasn’t a beating, the guy just threw stones at him, he threw a stick back and that was it. He came out with just a small bruise.”
Attempt’s to reach the suspect’s attorney were not successful by Monday evening.
Reach reporter Colin MIxson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
