Man Charged With Hate Crime After Assaulting Hispanic Man: Police

PATCHOGUE, NY — A man was arrested on Wednesday for assaulting another man while using ethnic slurs in Patchogue last weekend, according to Suffolk Police. On Sunday, officers responded to an assault in front of a business Carman Street and found a 35-year-old Hispanic man who had suffered from multiple contusions to his face and chest, police said.

During the assault, the suspect made derogatory comments about undocumented immigrants and fled the scene before officers arrived, police said. The 35-year-old man, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, declined hospital treatment because of COVID-19 fears.

Following an investigation by the Hate Crimes Unit, detectives arrested 58-year-old Victor Scala, at his Patchogue home on Wednesday at 12:05 p.m., police said. He was charged with third degree assault as a hate crime. Scala will be held overnight at the Fifth Precinct, and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on May 21.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to call the Hate Crimes Unit at 631-852-6323 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.