Updated 07/18/2009 04:37 PM
Suspects Plead Not Guilty To Alleged Bias Attack On Staten Island
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The two men charged in an alleged bias attack on Staten Island last month pled not guilty Saturday at their arraignment.
Joseph Sweeney, 23, and Alibijond Kajam 28, were arrested Thursday on charges of robbery as a hate crime, assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment as a hate crime, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Both are being held on $20,000 bail. They are due back in court on July 22nd. If convicted, they could face 25 years in prison.
Police say on June 17th, Sweeney approached Luis Maltez, 38, at a gas station on Victory Boulevard in Bulls Head and yelled racial slurs at him.
Investigators say Sweeney then got into a car with two other men, including Kajam, and followed him for about a block, before they got out of the car and started beating Maltez with baseball bats.
He suffered serious head injuries, and needed nearly two-dozen stitches.