Devin Best, 48, of the Bronx, was arrested and charged with a hate crime and aggravated harassment for allegedly chasing a visibly Jewish man in Crown Heights, threatening him with a knife and reportedly shouting “heil Hitler” on Wednesday, a New York City Police Department spokesman told JNS.
Best was “taken into custody without any further incident,” the spokesman said. “The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating this incident.”
The department told JNS that officers were called to Park Place and Brooklyn Avenue at around 2:48 p.m. on Sept. 23.
“Upon arrival, officers met with a 24-year-old male victim stating that an unidentified male individual approached him and began cursing and threatening him,” the NYPD spokesman told JNS. “When the victim began to run away, the unidentified male individual began to chase him and continued to threaten him while brandishing a knife.”
Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn borough president, stated that he was “appalled.”
“Brooklyn must be safe for all,” he stated. “We cannot tolerate attacks on our Jewish neighbors.”
