Knife attack on Jewish man in Brooklyn classified as hate crime. Video shows violent confrontation

NEW YORK – A suspect who allegedly shouted “Free Palestine” before gunning down a Jewish man is charged with a hate crime, according to New York police.

The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Vincent Sumpter, was involved in a verbal argument with the victim immediately before he knocked the 33-year-old down, police said.

Surveillance video of the attack in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, shows a man with a knife attacking a group of men and stabbing one of them in the upper body.

It happened on Saturday around 2 a.m.

Witness describes what led to the cut

The victim's friend said the group had just finished a Shabbat meal at the Chabad Lubavitch headquarters on Kingston Avenue when the suspect crossed the side of the street and yelled at them.

“The guy started saying 'Free Palestine' and stuff like that… Two of my friends came a little closer and told him to go away,” he told CBS News New York. “And after a few minutes the guy said something like 'You want to die, what's going on?'… We said nobody wants to die, go away, we're calling the police… It lasted about a second – he took a knife, opened it like that and stabbed him in the stomach.”

Community members pursued and detained the suspect until police arrived, he said.

According to police, Sumpter is charged with hate crimes and illegal possession of weapons.

“It bothers me that this kind of thing still happens,” said one Crown Heights resident.

“I was out with my children and was looking for a stronger police presence,” said Rabbi Eliezer Gurary of Crown Heights.

The stabbed man was taken to hospital in stable condition.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or DM on Twitter, @NYPDTipsAll calls will be treated confidentially.