By Matis Glenn
According to police and local activists, a man shouting “Free Palestine” stabbed a Jewish resident of Crown Heights on Shabbat.
Vincent Sumpter, a 22-year-old black man from East New York, was arrested after being chased and detained by community members who saw him stab the victim after expressing his anti-Israel beliefs. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. near Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue.
According to Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, a community activist, Sumpter also asked the victim before the brutal attack: “Do you want to die?”
The victim was taken to the hospital and “is expected to recover given the location of the stabbing and the quick response of paramedics,” Berhman wrote on social media.
“This is an extremely serious incident,” Berhman continued. “The victim could have been killed. This act of hateful violence underscores the dangerous impact of the anti-Semitic incitement and hatred being spread by some local politicians and leaders in New York and across the United States.”
“We urge the public to stay alert and if you see something, say something by calling 911 and your local Shomrim,” said Mendy Hershkop, a Shomrim coordinator from Crown Heights Hamodia.
