NEW YORK (AP) - Authorities have brought a hate crime case against a man accused of menacing a fellow Long Island Rail Road rider during a racial tirade last month.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown says Edward Ruggiero of Long Beach was arraigned Wednesday night.
Brown says Ruggerio is accused of “tormenting” a 25-year-old black woman by raising his hand, threatening to hit her and screaming “vile” racial slurs.
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The prosecutor says such behavior has “no place in a civilized society.”
Ruggerio’s attorney, Joseph Donatelli, says video of the episode shows “morally reprehensible” behavior but it’s unclear whether it meets the legal requirements for a crime.
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