NYPD Charges Man With Hate Crime

[S Landreth]

The New York Police Department has confirmed to TPM that a cab driver in Manhttan was allegedly stabbed by a passenger who asked if the cabbie was Muslim, and says the incident is being treated as a hate crime. The suspect has been charged with attempted murder and other crimes.

According to Detective Marc Nell, at 6:14 pm last night, the driver picked up Michael Enright, 21, of Brewster, NY, at the intersection of 24th Street and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. The cab proceeded to drive north, and Enright asked the driver, who Nell identified as a 43-year-old Asian male, if he was Muslim. After the driver responded that he was, Enright allegedly stabbed him repeatedly with a Leatherman tool, according to police.

"[Enright] stabbed the driver in the throat, right arm, left forearm, right thumb and upper lip," Nell said.

According to police, the driver called 911, and stopped the cab on 3rd Avenue between 40th and 41st streets, managing to lock Enright inside until police arrived.

Nell told TPM that the cab driver is in stable condition, and that Enright has been charged with "attempted murder two as a hate crime, assault with a weapon as a hate crime, aggravated harassment second degree because of race and religion, and criminal possession of a weapon."

The Associated Press reports that Enright is expected to appear in court today.
Nell could not confirm that Enright had admitted to asking the driver if he was Muslim.

The driver, Ahmed H. Sharif, released a statement through the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, saying "I never feel this hopeless and insecure before."
"I feel very sad," Sharif said. "I have been here more than 25 years. I have been driving a taxi more than 15 years. All my four kids were born here."

The New York Post reports that both Sharif and Enright were taken to Bellevue Hospital after the incident. Police would not confirm to TPM where Enright was currently located.

Allan Fromberg, a spokeperson for the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, told TPM that the Commission was aware of the incident, and that an official response was forthcoming, but that he could not comment publicly yet.

"A number of things are sort of in motion on this, as we speak," Fromberg said.

The New York Times reports that an anonymous police source has said Enright was "very drunk" at the time of the incident.

The incident was first reported by NY1.

link: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/08/nypd_charges_man_with_hate_crime_after_allegedly_s tabbing_muslim_cabbie.php?ref=fpblg

[S Landreth]

Strange,………..

Here's where it gets strange: Michael Enright of Brewster, New York, who was booked on charges of attempted murder and assault with a weapon as a hate crime, is listed on Facebook as an employee of the New York City-based Intersections International, a New York-based "global initiative dedicated to promoting justice, reconciliation and peace across lines of faith, culture, ideology, race, class, national borders and other boundaries that divide humanity." And a few weeks ago, they announced their support for -- you guessed it -- the Cordoba House, better known to many as the "Ground Zero Mosque."


A lot more to the story: Man accused of stabbing Muslim cabbie ‘works for pro-Islam group’ | Raw Story

[Jet Gorgon]

The New York Post reports that both Sharif and Enright were taken to Bellevue Hospital after the incident.

OK, I know Bellevue has expanded, but, erm, it's best known for psycho cases, and clearly, there were two in that taxi....

Bellevue has long been a pioneer in identifying and categorizing mental illness, in training psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses and in formulating effective treatment options combining science and psychosocial support that allow even seriously ill patients to return to more normal lives.

HHC - Bellevue Hospital Center

[S Landreth]

^Bellevue is the closest hospital,…………

http://maps.google.com/maps?expIds=17259,25901,25961&sugexp=ldymls&q=map+ intersection+of+24th+Street+and+2nd+Avenue+in+Manh attan&cp=59&rls=ig&hl=en&wrapid=tljp12827744462811 6&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=2nd+Ave+%26+E+24th+St,+New+York,+NY+10 010&gl=us&ei=uJV1TPXiPMGB8ga3kJHsBg&sa=X&oi=geocod e_result&ct=title&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCAQ8gEwAA

[Jet Gorgon]

^ Yep. Nice place, Bellevue. Guess you gotta live in NY to know.

[PaulBunyon]

This story is going to blow up into something interesting once all the information is dug up about this attacker. It's just too odd from the information out already. Fox news brought it up trying to spin it against the initial claims of it being an Islamophobia story. At this point, it could really go anywhere. it just doesn't make sense.

[blue]

Bet Michael Enright was off his head drunk ,,thought he was back in afghanistan manning a checkpoint
Best thing to do is deport the muzzie and his 4 children and tubby wife ,stop him milking it and making a new career out of it .
It won't be long before Ahmed Sharif and Enright are both on the Oprah Winfrey show, kissing and making up-
The hate crime should be having a beard like that

[Jet Gorgon]

This story is going to blow up into something interesting once all the information is dug up about this attacker. It's just too odd from the information out already. Fox news brought it up trying to spin it against the initial claims of it being an Islamophobia story. At this point, it could really go anywhere. it just doesn't make sense.

The attacker is a total leftie and apparently, the muslim taxi driver was against the GZM. 5555555
On his Facebook page, Enright claims he works for a non-profit organization called Intersections International, which on its website describes itself as a "New York-based global initiative dedicated to promoting justice, reconciliation and peace across lines of faith, culture, ideology, race, class, national borders and other boundaries that divide humanity. Founded in 2007, Intersections is a permanent multi-faith, multi-cultural effort of the Collegiate Churches of New York, the oldest corporation in North America, dating back to 1628."
In an ironic twist, the organization endorsed the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero just a few weeks ago.
The Rev. Robert Chase, who heads Intersections International, said Enright has volunteered for the group, but was never employed by them.

Read more: Driver claims his throat was slashed after telling passenger he was Muslim - NYPOST.com