Police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man wanted in a hate crime near the Flats East Bank on Sunday morning.
At around 4:54 a.m., a man and his friends were ordering food from a street stand on Old River Road when the suspect, pictured above, started screaming racial remarks at a 22-year-old man serving food, police say.
The suspect yelled "you don't belong, go back to your own country," according to police.
The man then punched the victim in the face, causing the victim to hit his head on the cement and lose consciousness.
The victim suffered a broken jaw and lost several teeth.
A female screamed at the suspect and called him 'Greg', according to the police report.
Julia Shearson with the Council on American-Islamic Relations Ohio said this incident has left the local Islamic community reeling.
“It's very concerning that someone was actually physically assaulted, literally pummeled and told to go back to their country,” said Shearson, CAIR Ohio Executive Director. “We're wishing him a speedy recovery, and we just let them know that we're here for them and gave them referrals to victim witness Cuyahoga county.”
This happened just eight days after white-supremacists and Neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia clashed with counter protesters over the city's plan to remove a confederate statue. A car plowed through the counter-protesters, killing a woman and injuring several others.
Cleveland Councilman Kerry McCormack did not place blame on anyone in the Cleveland incident, but said he wants to send a clear message to the local community.
“It appears to be an isolated incident. We don't see a lot of this, but again any type of activity like this, any type of behavior, hate speech, bigotry is completely unacceptable."
Shearson added that she does not want immigrants to feel afraid, but empowered.
"There is the Council on Islamic Relations, there's the ASIA Services in Action,” she said. “There are all kinds of immigrant support networks in the greater Cleveland area."
The victim was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center where he was treated and released.
If anyone recognizes the man pictured above, contact Detective Williams at 216-623-2708.
