Man Brandished Knife In Racist Attack On Construction Worker: PD

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield man faces several charges after he yelled racial slurs at a construction worker and brandished a knife at the person, according to police.

Officers were contacted around 1 p.m. Saturday about a man on Sconset Drive who was behaving in a threatening and racist manner in response to a masonry worker’s truck being parked in such a way that it blocked a section of sidewalk, police said.

The man, Joseph R. Soracco, became angry, confronted the worker, brandished the knife and repeatedly used ethnic slurs, according to police. He was arrested at the scene and found to have multiple knives and a gun, for which he had a permit, police said, adding officers seized the weapons.

Authorities later learned Soracco owned several more firearms, and detectives served a seizure warrant to remove the guns from his home, according to police. Crisis intervention officers also followed up with Soracco and his family Sunday to facilitate connections with health care resources if needed, police said.

“The Fairfield Police Department takes all matters of threatening and hate crimes very seriously, and urges the public to immediately report any such incidents that they may observe,” Chief Robert Kalamaras said in a police department news release. “Thank you to the bystander who reported this incident, who assisted police by providing critical and timely information during this investigation.”

Soracco, 61, is charged with second degree intimidation based on bigotry or bias, second degree reckless endangerment, second degree threatening and second degree breach of peace, according to police. He is free on bond and set to be arraigned Oct. 26 in Bridgeport, police said.