Ramon Castro

Bronx man indicted  with hate crimes in Jackson Heights slashing

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Bronx man has been charged with assault as a hate crime and other charges in a Jackson Heights slashing attack earlier this month, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Ramon Castro, 55, was busted on July 15 after allegedly slashing a man in the face on July 6 near 77th Street one block north of Roosevelt Avenue, after using homophobic language and racial slurs.

Castro, of Plimpton Avenue in the Bronx, was arraigned July 15 before Queens Criminal Court Judge Jerry Iannece on a complaint charging him with assault in the second degree as a hate crime, menacing in the second degree as a hate crime, and aggravated harassment in the second degree.

Castro approached a group of men around 3 a.m. on July 6 and began shouting, “I hate Latinos and f—-t people,” according to the charges. A 34-year-old man was cut on the left cheek by a sharp object brandished by Castro, who then fled the scene on foot, the charges state.

EMS responded to the scene and transported the victim to Elmhurst Hospital Center where he was listed in stable condition, police said.

Castro was arrested around 1 a.m. on July 15 within the confines of the 110th Precinct following an investigation by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force.

“I will not tolerate those who target others because of their ethnicity or who they love,” Katz said. “We are better than that. Queens prides herself on being a part of the city that holds accountable those who think they can divide us. Not here.”

Castro’s arrest record dates back to 1982 and includes more than 90 prior arrests on numerous drug and assault charges, according to the New York Daily News, which also reported Castro’s arrest on two days in a row in late June on burglary charges where he was released without bail each time.

Judge Iannece ordered Castro to return to court on July 20. If convicted he faces up to 15 years in prison.